


Not Broken

by MaidenM



Series: If it's Not Broken, Don't Fix It [1]
Category: Overwatch (Video Game)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Domestic, Bullying, Civilian Life, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Mutual Pining, Slow Burn, handicaps
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-01-15
Updated: 2017-05-06
Packaged: 2018-09-17 18:30:42
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 15
Words: 37,448
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9337652
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MaidenM/pseuds/MaidenM
Summary: Parenthood is a war neither of them ever learned how to fight.





	1. A new beginning

Building zipped past the window as the car drove down the street. Suburban homes, small stores and the like. Jesse stared vacantly at them, not really seeing anything.

 

A new town, his uncle had said. A new home, a new start. Jesse suspected he'd held back from saying _a new life_ . As much as he relished the idea of getting away, getting _out_ , a small voice at the back of his head whispered that this should not be such a delightful concept to an 8-year old.

 

"You okay back there, Jesse?" his uncle asked, looking at him through the rear-view mirror. The look of concern on his scarred face made Jesse even more nervous.

 

"I'm fine..." he mumbled, just loud enough for Gabriel to hear. Part of him hated how... overbearing his uncle could be, if given the opportunity. It made him feel weak.

 

"Nerves, huh? Nothing wrong with that, everyone's nervous during their first day," The sound of the blinker coming on as Gabriel made a turn seemed louder than usual to Jesse's ears. "Just remember to breath like I taught you, ok?"

 

Jesse tightened the hold on his backpack as his new school came into view. It was a drab, grey building, the overcast weather didn't do it any favours in that regard. There weren't many kids around, Gabriel had argued that they should arrive early so they wouldn't be late if they couldn't find their way at first.

 

Inhale. Hold. Count. Exhale. Repeat. It did little to lessen the weight of the lump in Jesse's stomach. Once the car had parked he pushed the door open and hopped out. When he shut the door the sound of another car door slamming made him jump.

 

"Y-you don't have to come with me you know!" he exclaimed as Gabriel held up his key to lock the car. Another look of concern. Not what he needed right now.

 

"Are you sure?" his uncle asked carefully after a few moments, finger hovering over the buttons on the car-key. "You think you can find your way on your own?"

 

"I—"

 

_I don't want you to come with me, I want to do this on my own, I want to be strong, I don't want to be seen as the new kid who needs his hand to be held at all times._

 

"I got the instructions in my bag, shouldn't be too hard. I'll be fine." He tried giving a smile. It was a moderate success.

 

"Alright. I'll be here to pick you up later. You're gonna do great today!" Gabriel smiled back at him. It was a warm, reassuring smile. It was a lot more successful that Jesse's attempt. "Before I go, can I get a wave?" his uncle asked as he opened the door again. If Jesse's face fell for just a moment Gabriel made no comment, just that same, warm smile again.

 

Jesse took a deep breath again before he raised his left hand. The metal gleamed weakly in the dreary weather. With a little effort he managed to wriggle his fingers.

 

"Getting better!" Gabriel praised as he sat back in the car. Jesse watched him drive off before he turned to the school's entrance.

 

Inhale. Hold. Count. Exhale.

 

"Okay..." he said to himself.

 

He found his locker and classroom fairly quickly. The hallway was almost empty at the moment, but he had a feeling it wouldn't be long before his new classmates and other kids showed up. He eyed the lockers that lined the wall wearily. It didn't take long before he found one that looked less... cared for. Jesse looked around. Discomfort churned in his stomach, adding weight to the lump. No one was paying any attention to him. He walked up to the locker, fairly certain he knew what he'd find.

 

The blue laquer had been scratched by keys in several places. There was a dent that could have been an accident or it could have been deliberate. In the bottom right corner someone had scrawled a word in black marker.

 

**FREAK**

 

Jesse swallowed tightly. This was far too familiar.

 

The sound of kids filling the hallways brought his attention back to the surrounding world. He stepped away from the locker, trying to remember that he was in a new place, that he had a new chance.

 

He pulled his arm close to his chest, the hard surface of it both grounding and unnerving for the moment. He counted the minutes, watching his new schoolmates fill the corridor as he waited for the teacher to arrive. As time passed several kids gave him a few curious glances, but no one approached him. Part of him was thankful for that.

 

Inhale. Hold. Count. Exhale.

 

The teacher finally arrived, letting the kids into the classroom. She was a fairly old woman, older than his uncle for sure, and Jesse couldn't help but to think she looked tired. She smiled slightly as she saw him.

 

"Are you Jesse?" she asked. Her voice was slightly hoarse and Jesse could faintly smell cigarette smoke as he came close. He nodded stiffly. "I'm Mrs.Wick. Come, let me show you your seat."

 

Said seat was close to the front of the classroom. Jesse wasn't that comfortable having so many classmates behind him, where whispers and gestures could be hidden easily.

 

Inhale. Hold. Count. Exhale. This was a new start. There was still a chance things would be better than before.

 

"Okay children, good morning," mrs.Wick started and Jesse could tell false enthusiasm when he heard it. "Kenneth..?" she continued as she pulled out a clipboard.

 

"Present!"

 

"Mitch?"

 

"Present."

 

"Amanda?" Jesse tried to keep up as the names were called out, memorising faces best he could. His new classmates seemed very... normal. No one seemed to stick out too much. No one seemed to be weird enough to be called a freak. Maybe the poor kid whose locker that was wasn't in his class.

 

"Jesse?" mrs.Wick called, interrupting his thoughts. He straightened his back, trying to look confident. "Present," he replied as he heard a few whispers flutter about the classroom.

 

"Good. Jesse here is our new lad, please give him a warm welcome children," the teacher drawled with her eyes on her clipboard before she continued. "Jamieson?"

 

The classroom was quiet. Another whisper could be heard, followed by a quiet snicker. Mrs.Wick sighed and moved to write something down when a faint, rhythmic sound could be heard from the hallway.

 

_Thump-thock-thump-thock-thump-thock_

 

The door shot open revealing a blond, out-of-breath kid. "'M sorry I'm late, mrs.Wick!" he exclaimed before walking – limping – to an empty desk diagonally behind Jesse.

 

A peg-leg. The kid had a peg-leg.

 

Muffled laughter came from the back of class. Jesse was certain he heard the word 'weirdo' somewhere behind him. He noted with a sinking feeling that their teacher didn't even seem to notice. "Try to be more punctual, Jamieson. Marcus?" she continued the roll-call without a second glance at the latecomer.

 

Jesse felt something he could only think of as dread as he looked over the new kid. He seemed to be a mess with dirty skin and mended clothes. His peg-leg was bulky and definitely eye-catching but what really caught Jesse's attention was the faint gleam that came off his arm.

 

He had the same kind of prosthesis as Jesse did. Only his was his right arm.

 

The last thing Jesse needed today was for his new classmates to throw him in the same category as this kid.

 

To his horror Jamieson noticed his staring. Big, yellow eyes narrowed for a moment before they fell onto Jesse's arm, at which point they widened and a big grin spread across the kid's face.

 

When Jamieson started to wave his own arm enthusiastically in a friendly greeting Jesse wanted the ground to swallow him up.

 

This was not a good day after all.

 

***

 

Lunchtime couldn't come soon enough. Jesse was as tense as a bowstring after the morning's classes. No one had talked to him yet and he wasn't sure if this was good or not.

 

He made his way to the cafeteria by following the other kids from a decent distance. Maybe he could work up the courage to ask if he could sit with someone. He spied one of his classmates ahead of him. It was... Kenneth? Maybe? He seemed nice, maybe he would--

 

"Hiya!" a high-pitched greeting came from behind him, making him jump. His stomach dropped when he turned to face a far too wide smile. "Jesse, right? I'm Jamie! Wanna have lunch together?"

 

Jamieson had a very friendly face. His smile was large and genuine in a way Jesse hadn't seen before. Faint freckles dotted the bridge of his nose and his eyes gleamed.

 

However...

 

Some feet behind him a few kids from their class were watching them. Judging them.

 

A small flicker in Jamie's face made Jesse realize he needed to reply. He steeled himself, ignoring the small voice that told him what he was going to do wasn't fair.

 

"Nah. I don't want to eat with _you_ ," he said, trying to keep his voice steady. He choked on his next word. "... Weirdo," he managed to get out.

 

The way Jamie's face changed almost sent a chill down his spine. The friendly demeanor flowed off him like water off a goose. "No need to be like that, mate. Was only trying to be nice."

 

"I—" Jesse had barely stuttered a single syllable before someone came up beside him.

 

"Hey, dumbass. He said he didn't want your company so you should leave him alone. Your daddy didn't teach you simple manners?" a boy from their class said harshly. Jesse cringed inwardly at his tone, he'd heard it before.

 

Jamie seemed to square his shoulder, puffing himself up as much as he could. It didn't have much effect, he was a lanky kid. "Fuck off, Marcus," he scoffed.

 

Jesse was dimly aware that other kids had gathered around them. He felt cold. He felt out of breath. A sick mix of regret and relief pooled in his core as he realized where this was going.

 

"You fuck off, ya freaky misfit," another voice joined in, Kenneth perhaps? Something flashed in Jamie's eyes and he took a step towards the speaker only to get roughly shoved to the floor. "C'mon Jesse, you can sit with us." Part of Jesse felt like throwing up as he took a few tentative steps back, eyes fixed on Jamie's face like a cursed image as the kid glared back at him. Before Jesse turned around Jamie held up his hand, holding it so the back of it faced Jesse, and made a V-sign.

 

With shaky legs and the lump growing cold in him, Jesse made his way to the cafeteria with his new classmates.

 

***

 

The weather hadn't gotten better in the afternoon. Grey clouds hang heavy across the sky, putting a damper on Gabriel's mood. He stood by his car, waiting for Jesse to come find him.

 

He hoped dearly that Jesse had gotten a good start. Lord knows he needed it. Hell, they all did. Jesse, little Rosa, Gabriel himself.

 

The war against the omnics might have ended a few years ago, but the unrest that followed had been just as harsh for many. Getting back to civilian life hadn't occurred in the most ideal of ways for Gabriel and the new battles he found himself fighting where things he was woefully inexperienced in. He could dismantle and reassemble several types of weapons in a few seconds, he could lead soldiers to victory against impossible odds, he'd been trained to be the perfect soldier in any situation.

 

He had not been trained in parenthood, or whatever he should call his situation.

 

Still, he had no regrets. He'd be damned if he let his niece and nephew fall into foster care while he was off 'fighting the good fight' or whatever.

 

He sighed, wondering briefly if he had time for a cigarette before Jesse arrived when he saw a familiar mop of brown hair come out of the building. His heart sank. He could tell from his posture things had not been ideal.

 

As Jesse approached he ran his options through his head. Should he say something? Should he wait for Jesse to bring it up? Should he tell the teacher that Jesse had had a bad day?

 

He opted for just holding out his arm to the boy. Jesse didn't even look at him as he buried his face in his side, grabbing hold of him like a life-line. A small pang of pain for his nephew joined with the small sense of victory over having offered something he needed.

 

Someone had told him once; if a child hugs you, never be the first to let go. You never know how long they need the hug to be.

 

After a while Jesse seemed to have had his fill. The boy stepped back, rubbing at his eyes quickly before moving to the car. As much as he wanted to say something Gabriel decided that he'd give Jesse some space for now.

 

He was about to join his nephew in the car when he noticed someone staring. A few feet away from him stood a man about his age, maybe older. The first word that came to Gabriel's mind was 'ghost', the man was pale and had hair that was practically white. Red-tinted sunglasses covered his eyes but there was no mistake about it. He was staring at Gabriel's face.

 

Gabriel hated this part of going back to society. Civilians never seemed to get used to his scars. You'd think the war would've taught most of them that people got hurt, that it wasn't like in the movies where the hero gets stitched up but one scene later their pretty face is still intact. He was about to just ignore it and get into the car when the man spoke up.

 

"Reyes? Commander Reyes?" he asked with a husky voice that seemed familiar. Gabriel raised an eyebrow.

 

"Do I know you?" Gabriel wondered as the man took a few steps forward, a small smile gracing his lips.

 

"I-- I'm Morrison. Jack Morrison? I served under you years ago," the smile grew a little as realisation dawned on Gabriel's face.

 

"Fucking hell," he laughed "never thought I'd see you again, Sunshine!"

 

Jack laughed at the old nickname and God did memories flood back all at once. Memories of golden hair and eyes that seemed to light up the room when the young man smiled.

 

"Shit, you got old though," Gabriel laughed again, partly to push those memories back, as he looked over the man he now knew was a year younger than him.

 

"Hah, yeah. Life came down on me like a ton of bricks after I left the military," Jack smiled and Gabriel had to stomp down on the little part of him that wanted to take the glasses from him to see those blue eyes again. "How come I've never seen you around here, it's a pretty small town," he asked.

 

"I just moved here this week with my niece and nephew. It was his first day today," Gabriel explained, gesturing to Jesse who sat quietly in the car. Jack waved at the boy. Jesse just stared listlessly out the window.

 

"That's... that's great to hear! My kid goes here too, he's in Mrs.Wick's class." Gabriel took a moment to think. Wasn't that Jesse's class too?

 

"So, how have you--" Jack began before another voice interrupted him.

 

"Mr.Morrison?" a woman asked as she approached. Her id-badge identified her as one of the school's personnel. "I'm glad I caught you, we've been trying to get a hold of you."

 

Maybe it was Gabriel's imagination but he thought Jack's posture sagged slightly as she spoke.

 

"Would you come with me, Mr.Morrison?"she asked, though it was more like a command. Jack sighed and turned to Gabriel even as he took a few steps towards the school.

 

"Right, hey, it was great seeing you again. I'll see you around!" he called as he fell in behind the woman. Gabriel gave a wave before getting into his car, sitting down with a heavy sigh.

 

"Who was that?" Jesse asked softly. Gabriel smiled.

 

"A blast from the past," he said simply as he turned on the ignition.

 


	2. Wouldn't go Back

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is not part of Reaper76week but today's prompt is "In Another Life"/AU. I thought it would be fitting to upload today.

Jack sat down in the driver's seat with a heavy sigh, bringing a hand up to massage his temples in frustration. Jamie sat quietly in the back, staring at his hands.

 

"Where did you get those firecrackers, Jamie?" Jack asked after a while. He tried to push the image of Mrs.Wick's face out of his mind, the look of disappointment at _him_ rather than his kid made him more upset than he thought it would. Jamie fidgeted in silence for a bit before he spoke up.

 

"Mako got them for me yesterday," the boy admitted. Jack had to suppress a groan.

 

"Why?" he asked eventually. He didn't know how his boy had gotten this fascination with explosives. Part of him wanted to understand him. Jamie shrugged behind him.

 

"Wanted to try something," came the meek answer.

 

"You know how dangerous those can be, Jamie!"

 

"We weren't gonna use them at school! Mako made a space in his backyard where we'd set them off later."

 

Jack went back to massaging his temples. He didn't really approve of Jamie's friendship with the older teen. He had been more... reckless since they became friends.

 

But he couldn't really deny that he came home with less tears in his clothes, less bruises and burns since they became friends. He was happier and that was worth everything to Jack.

 

He gave another heavy sigh. "You know I'm just worried about you, right?" he asked, voice heavy with concern. "I'm not angry with you, not really. I just want you to understand that—"

 

"I know!" Jamie barked, looking smaller than usual as his face scrunched up. "I'm not stupid, pops. I know what I'm doing!"

 

Jack watched his son in the rear-view mirror. At times he wanted to tell him that he's 8 years old, he won't know what he's doing for a long time. At other times he marveled at how competent his kid could be. The boy picked things up faster than he, or anyone he knew, did at his age. He glanced at Jamie's peg-leg, feeling a pang of pride swell up in his chest. He turned the ignition on.

 

"Alright. I trust you, for now," Jack conceded. "But from now on, if Mako has anything for you he'll have to keep it at his place, not in school."

 

"Fine..." the boy mumbled as the car rolled out on the road. They sat in silence for a while, giving Jack time to sort out his thoughts. Jamie was... difficult, but Jack couldn't shake the feeling that part of the problem was that people didn't expect him to be the way he was. That he wasn't _normal_ to them and that they thought that meant there was something wrong.

 

When he was younger Jamie had tried to fit in. It hadn't worked. He was always a little too quick, a little too smart. He made friends with adults far easier than he made friends with kids his own age. He got _bored_.

 

Jack suspected Jamie had simply given up on being _right_ in other people's eyes. As his father, this made him feel very torn. On one hand he was so proud, his little boy had a level of integrity that many adults would envy. On the other, integrity means squat to most kids. Kids who dance to their own tune grate on the nerves of those who have been taught only one rhythm.

 

"There was a new kid in class today," Jamie spoke up after a while. The tone of his voice suggested he wasn't too happy about that.

 

"Oh?" Jack offered, thinking back to his run-in with his old commander. His nephew maybe?

 

"I don't like him."

 

"Oh." For a few moments no one said anything. Jack waited to see if Jamie was willing to elaborate himself. "Maybe he was just nervous on his first day? He might warm up later."

 

"I don't care." Silence resumed. Jamie had a far-away look on his face and Jack realised there wasn't much more to say for the time being. He allowed himself to drift back to his own thoughts as he drove.

 

So, a new kid in class the same day Reyes' nephew has his first day in a new school? He doubted it was a different kid. And he and Jamie didn't get a good start.

 

Jack held back a sigh. Reyes coming back into his like like lightning from a clear sky was quite literally a dream come true. And fuck if he didn't still do things to Jack just by existing... He had quite a few more scars on his face too. As if he didn't already tick several points on Jack's list of things-that-makes-my-knees-wobbly.

 

He thought back on those old days, when he was still a golden-haired soldier with far too much courage. The few years he served under Reyes where some of his best, as well as a point of shame on a personal level. He'd been so head-over-heels for the older man he was sure he'd slip up so many times. Sometimes he wished he did.

 

There had been this one time when he had been hurt and ended up in the med-bay for a few days, nothing unusual for him as his fellow soldiers were quick to point out. Reyes had been standing at the foot of his bed chewing him out for his "reckless behaviour", asking if he had a death-wish and just generally yelling about how adrenaline is no substitute for common sense.

 

 _"You think this is a joke, Morrison?"_ he had asked eventually, making Jack realise he had been smiling. The mere idea that Reyes was angry, even worried, because of his stunt had made him all tingly. He had blamed it on the painkillers.

 

And maybe it was the painkillers, or just wishful thinking, that made Reyes' eyes look softer as he was done yelling. That made his voice go from a growl to a murmur that sent shivers—

 

"Pops?" Jamie's voice brought him back to the present. "You missed our turning."

 

"Oh, yeah..." Jack blinked.

 

"... You're really not angry with me?" Jamie asked softly, so quiet he almost couldn't hear the boy.

 

"No. No, I was just thinking..." Jack started, taking a moment to think about how to phrase his words. "The new kid. I think I met his uncle when I came to pick you up. He's... an old acquaintance of mine," he explained. Jamie was watching his face in the mirror.

 

"I still don't like the new kid," the boy said eventually. Jack sighed.

 

"You don't have to, Jamie. You never _have_ to like someone," he tried to sound as reassuring as he could, hoping there was no disappointment in his voice for Jamie to pick up on.

 

They eventually made it home. Jack noted with a smile that Jamie's eyes lit up at the sight of the big jeep parked outside their house. The moment they parked Jamie dashed out of the car and into their home. Once Jack followed he was greeted by a booming voice.

 

"MEKA online!" the sound of Hana's laughter was almost lost under the rumbling of Reinhardt's imitation of a MEKA's buzzing and whirring. The huge man moved stiffly, joints held at firm angles to mimic the robotic movements. Hana sat atop his shoulders, smiling for days.

 

"Me too!" Jamie yelled, holding his arms up to be picked up. Instead Reinhardt crouched down, still maintaining the robotic act, getting low enough for the lad to climb up.

 

Jack watched the antics with a serene smile. Three of his favourite people in the world, laughing together, forgetting their worries and just making each other happy.

 

It doesn't get better than that, does it?

 

***

 

"Dinner was lovely, Jack! You must make this next time Ana is on leave!" the old crusader praised as he helped Jack gather up the dishes. Jack laughed softly, the elder had a tendency to be incredibly optimistic about the smallest things. Dinner had been good at best.

 

The evening had been the usual arrangement. Reinhardt had babysat Hana during the afternoon and was repaid in gas money and free food. Considering how much the giant ate Jack wondered if he had gotten ripped off, but then again Hana loved the big man.

 

There was also the fact that Jack knew that the only regret Reinhardt had about his life was that his dedication to his military career left him childless. He was a man with a lot of leftover love to give.

 

"You wouldn't happen to know when that is, do you?" Jack asked, for the sake of conversation if nothing else.

 

"Four months and sixteen days!" Reinhardt beamed. He probably knew how many hours and minutes as well, if pressed. Jack chuckled at his old friend. He loved how he loved.

 

"Speaking of the military," he said, still going for small-talk, "Guess who I ran into today." Reinhardt gave him an amused look.

 

"David Hasselhoff!"

 

"No."

 

"George Carlin!"

 

"You're not going to win this game if you keep guessing dead people," Jack laughed.

 

"Ötzi, the Tyrolean Iceman!" the ex-crusader boomed with a big grin. Jack laughed again, harder than before.

 

"No, not Ötzi," Jack croaked out between laughs before he collected himself as much as he could "I met Gabriel Reyes, my old commander."

 

Reinhardt's grin faltered. For a few moments he was uncharacteristically silent, regarding Jack with a sympathetic look.

 

"What was he doing here?" the ex-crusader asked after a few moments.

 

"Apparently he moved here recently. I met him at Jamie's school."

 

"How did that go?" the elder man asked, not hiding the concern in his voice.

 

"Well, I didn't have enough time to make a fool out of myself, so that's good," Jack shrugged, "but I think his nephew is in Jamie's class and they didn't get along."

 

Reinhardt shot a glance towards the living room. Through the doorway he could see Jamie and Hana on the sofa, faces illuminated by the TV. He took a few steps towards Jack, still with a soft look on his face.

 

"You okay?"

 

The simple question held years of understanding behind it. If there was anyone Jack could dare to be honest with about this it was his old friend. They both knew of the same heartache. Jack adjusted his glasses, a nervous habit he knew Reinhardt would pick up on.

 

"Not sure, really." He thought back to the drive home, how he had gotten so distracted by just a few simple thoughts. Part of him had thought he was over Reyes. He had clearly been wrong. A giant hand came down on his shoulder.

 

"Maybe this is a good thing, my friend!" Loud and smiling Reinhardt was back. "You have been given a second chance! And you're not his subordinate anymore so there's no worry about breaking any rules!"

 

"Rein—" Jack began when another hand went to his other shoulder.

 

"No no! I know what you are going to say, old friend. 'It's not the right time' or 'I'm not in the right place'. I told myself that for years and listening to you telling me to stop is the best thing I ever did for myself!" A mischievous glint flashed in Reinhardt's good eye. "Besides, when was the last time you got laid?" he whispered. Jack felt his face grow warm and sputtered something even he didn't understand, to his old friend's amusement.

 

"It's not healthy to keep yourself lonely for too long!" Reinhardt laughed as Jack got himself free to finish cleaning up the dishes.

 

 _It hasn't been that long_ , he thought as he scrubbed a plate with a little more force than necessary, _for a single father I've been pretty lucky..._

 

Last time had been about five months ago. A one night stand that had been... lacklustre. Since Jamie came into his life sex had been different in several ways, as much else had been. Before Australia he had been pretty active, but after...

 

He sighed, remembering the first time he got lucky after he was discharged. His self-confidence had taken a heavy blow after that.

 

He and Reinhardt finished cleaning the dishes in relative silence, the sound from the tv and the children's occasional laughter creating a warm, soft atmosphere that made Jack relax more. Reinhardt had an almost serene smile on his face as they were done.

 

"I'll be going then, thanks you again for the lovely dinner," he said as he pulled Jack into a big hug. "I'll go say goodbye to the kids."

 

The children gave their sleepy goodbyes, both lying on the sofa half-watching their movie, half-falling asleep. Once Reinhardt had gotten dressed Jack followed him out, grabbing his cigarettes and his lighter on the way.

 

"You know, Jack," the gentle giant started as Jack lit a cigarette, "I wasn't kidding about the second chance thing. If you need any support, I'm your wingman!" A large grin graced the bearded man's features as he waved and walked off to his huge car. Jack waved as he exhaled a puff of smoke. Through the window of his home he could see Jamie and Hana nodding off, chests rising and falling in a steady rhythm.

 

He took another drag. It was cliché he knew, but before he became a father he had no idea how much his kids would matter to him. Not that Hana was his daughter, he was only her legal guardian while her parents were deployed, but he loved her as if she was. And Jamie, his little firecracker, he would kill for him. If it was in his power, he would do anything for that boy.

 

It was strange how the boy made him feel so powerless, not by himself but by the situations that arose around him. Jack had felt stronger staring up at a Bastion unit than he had ever felt before Mrs.Wick and her ilk. He doubted Jamie's situation would improve if he brought a rifle to the parent-teacher meetings though.

 

Civilian life was so complicated, but he wouldn't go back for a second.

 

He finished his cigarette and put it out in the ashtray he kept by the door before going inside. "Bedtime," he called drawing a few mewling groans from the kids. The three of them went to the bathroom and brushed their teeth together. Hana was so tired she almost fell asleep standing so Jack picked her up and brought her to her and Jamie's shared room. After getting her into her PJs he tucked her in.

 

"Kiss goodnight?" he asked, lowering his head for her. She gave him a loud kiss on his forehead. "Kiss for your parents?" he continued as he took a picture frame from Hana's nightstand. She gave it two equally loud kisses before resting her head on her pillow as he put the picture back in its place.

 

He stood and walked over to Jamie's bed where the boy was busy taking off his peg-leg. Deft hands made quick work of the thing and once it was removed he put it up against the nightstand where he could reach it easily. The arm followed soon after.

 

"Everything okay?" Jack asked softly as Jamie absentmindedly massaged the stump of his arm. He got a small nod as a reply before the boy crawled beneath the covers. Jack stroked his son's hair gently for a while, watching as the lad's face relaxed slowly. "Goodnight," he whispered as he leaned in to kiss Jamie's head getting a quiet "'Night" in return.

 

He rose again and walked out of the room, stopping for a moment to look at the near-sleeping forms before he closed the door.

 

No, he wouldn't go back for a second.

 


	3. Being Better

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In this chapter Gabriel is pining, Mako is a good friend and bullies are arseholes. What else is new?

The sound of screaming woke Gabriel with a start. He had fallen asleep on the couch and had left the TV on, which had now started to show some sort of cheesy horror movie. A loud groan escaped him, part in annoyance and part in relief. Rubbing at his eyes as he cursed softly, the couch was not his favourite place to sleep. He got up, somewhat unsteadily, making for his bedroom to get back to sleep in a proper bed. As he passed by the kid's room he stopped dead in his tracks when a light caught his eye.

 

"Precious, you're supposed to sleep," he chided as his niece scrambled to hide the light of the tablet under her covers. "No use hiding, little shadow. I can still see it." Rosa puffed out her cheeks in annoyance as he entered the room and walked up to her bed. He sat down and pulled out the device.

 

"I couldn't sleep," she moaned, "I tried, I really did and I got bored."

 

"Well, you shouldn't be playing games when you need sleep, it gets you excited." He turned the tablet off and patted Rosa's head.

 

"But I'm  _ so _ bored!" she complained again, slumping down on her pillow and throwing her arms up. "I was bored all day too, I just want to do  _ something _ ." A sound came from the other side of the room and Gabriel hushed softly.

 

"No need to wake your brother, girl." He stood and beckoned for the girl to follow him. They went to the kitchen where Gabriel prepared to make some warm milk for them both. "Any special reason why you couldn't sleep, darling?" he asked as he poured milk into a saucepan.

 

Rosa sat by the table and didn't say anything for a while. Unlike Jesse, who got silent when he was reluctant to speak she had a tendency to think about what she would say for a few moments before speaking up.

 

"I don't like this place," she admitted, "everyone acts fake."

 

Gabriel contemplated this for a while. Rosa had an uncanny knack for people. She watched and listened and  _ learned _ in a way that, despite her tender age of 6, made Gabriel trust her judgement more often than not.

 

"Anyone in particular that makes you worry?" he asked as he stirred the milk. "A teacher at kindergarden? One of the kids?"

 

"Jesse."

 

He froze. He didn't expect  _ that _ .

 

"He's been weird all day. Like he's trying not to be himself."

 

"I'm sure he's just nervous, it was his first day and everything."

 

"It was my first day too, and I'm not acting weird."

 

Gabriel bit his lip to keep from pointing out that compared to other kids her age she was always weird. He meant it in the nicest way but there was no guarantee it would be taken as such.

 

"It's probably nothing to worry about," he said reassuringly while he brought out two mugs from the cupboard, "when I joined the army I went through something similar." He poured the warm milk into the mugs and sat down next to Rosa, handing her one of them.

 

"I was really nervous, first time away from my family and all that. So I acted tougher than I was. You know what happened?"

 

Rosa took a swig of her milk as she thought about it. "People thought you were tougher than you were?"

 

"Yeah. But the good thing was that even  _ I _ thought I was tougher. Sometimes people act the way they want to be rather than how they are. There's nothing wrong with that." He hoped this sounded as uplifting to Rosa as it did to him. "Never fault someone for trying to be a better version of themselves, Rosa," he added as an afterthought.

 

They drank their milk silently for a while. Rosa's brow was creased and Gabriel could tell she was turning his words in her head, trying to figure them out, trying to see if there were any flaws in them.

 

"What if he fails?" she asked after a while.

 

"Fails with what?"

 

"Becoming a better version of himself." She pouted as she stared at the now empty mug. "What if he becomes something worse?"

 

Gabriel thought about it. He knew what he'd do if it had been one of his subordinates. Civilian life was harder.

 

"Then we help him get back," he said eventually, "we'll always be here for him. As he'll be there for us, right?"

 

Rosa looked like she was about to say something but when she opened her mouth all that came out was a loud yawn. Gabriel gulped down the rest of his milk and stood up.

 

"Now try to get some sleep, precious."

 

He followed her back to her room and made sure she hadn't snuck her phone or anything with her as she crawled beneath the covers once more. Once they had said their goodnights again he finally made it to his own bedroom and got into bed with no major ceremony.

 

Almost a half-hour later he accepted that he couldn't sleep.

 

The days events churned in his mind, images of Jesse's face buried in his jacket, Rosa's unimpressed look as he picked her up from kindergarten, of...

 

Jack Morrison.

 

He really didn't expect to see him ever again. Once Morrison had left his service he was almost certain the blond was going to die pulling one of his reckless stunts again. The others had given Morrison a few nicknames— Golden Boy, Boy Scout, Indiana, Sunshine— but the one that had stuck most what the one he got when it was revealed just how much of an adrenaline junkie he was.

 

Jack "Stunt Rider" Morrison.

 

Gabriel sighed, allowing himself a trip down memory lane. He thought of a shy, closed of young man at first, reserved body language and short sentences that grew into bright smiles and affectionate touches as he warmed up to everyone. He thought of a dirtied, sweat-stained face filled with steely determination that only ever gave way to the glint in his eyes as he saw an opportunity. He thought of a sturdy, yet lithe body that move with such speed that he was yards away when Gabriel had yelled for him to stay put. The fluid movement as he ran, jumped and climbed past terrain as if he had done it his whole life.

 

The idea that this man was now a civilian was almost laughable.

 

Or it would be, if that wasn't true of Gabriel as well.

 

God, that man had driven him up the wall. The mild insubordination was bad enough, even if it did get better after a while, but the man had been so darn  _ perfect _ the rest of the time. Impeccable skill, determined to a fault, polite and mild-mannered and so darn  _ pretty _ . Gabriel had been quite sure half the team had fantasised about him in an inappropriate manner at least once. He knew for a fact at least one had...

 

Part of him had been relieved when Morrison had been deployed elsewhere. He wasn't Gabriel's problem anymore.

 

He had been surprised when he realised he  _ missed _ his problem.  _ That _ had been a day for some introspection.

 

Gabriel groaned and shifted positions, trying to find something more comfortable. He wasn't sure how to feel about this new development. He wasn't sure there was enough of a development to actually care about. Maybe they'd see each other once in awhile, maybe they wouldn't. No use getting worked up over nothing, right?

 

_ I kinda  _ want _ to see him again though _ , a small part of him whispered.

 

He sighed into his pillow. This was going to be a long night.

 

***

 

"Pops! You can let me off here!" Jack almost jumped in his seat as Jamie yelled. He cast a glance to the sidewalk and saw Mako Rutledge's lumbering form.

 

"I told you not to yell like that when I'm driving," he reminded the boy as he pulled over, "and don't dawdle too much or you'll be late again."

 

"Okay!" Jamie replied as he gathered up his things, Jack had a feeling he had only been half-listening. "See ya, pops!" Jamie jumped out of the car and gave a wave before he slammed the door shut.

 

"Mako, hold up!" He hobbled up to the teen, grin wide as he caught up. Mako grunted a greeting behind his mask. They both gave a wave as Jamie's father drove past them before they started walking, side by side.

 

"Hey, do ya have any more firecrackers at your place? Teach took the ones you gave me," Jamie explained as he made a face and rolled his eyes.

 

"Mm-hm," Mako grunted.

 

"Good! Oh, and my pops said we'll have to keep our stuff at your place from now on."

 

"Hmm."

 

"Don't see why though, never had a problem with them in school."

 

"Hah!"

 

"Hey, that wasn't me! I was framed!"

 

"Mm."

 

Mako's big hand ruffled Jamie’s hair reassuringly as Jamie complained about how unfair it was that everyone at school just  _ assumes _ that  _ all _ the explosions would be his fault, just because he'd been caught a few times and anyway it's not like there was any property damage after the first time, which he had admittedly not seen coming, who knew the lockers where that flimsy anyway and--

 

Jamie stopped dead in his tracks. Sudden silence was something Mako had learned to be a bad sign with the boy. Jamie's gaze was fixed on the school's parking lot where a young boy had just stepped out of a car.

 

"Hm?" Mako inquired.

 

"New kid." Jamie's stare didn't waver. The boy at the parking lot waved to the driver of the car, his arm shining in the morning light.

 

"Huh," Mako said, his eyebrows rising slightly.

 

"Yeah. Thought it would make him different," Jamie admitted, "but he's the same as everyone else. Wanker." He kicked at the ground for emphasis.

 

Mako watched the new boy as they kept walking, offering the occasional insightful noise as Jamie started talking about some movie he had seen last night. Hunched shoulders, bowed head, hesitant movements, he had seen that before. Jamie had been like that.

 

"... And then all the bad guys where suddenly nice, I think. And I think there was a gorilla there? Maybe..?"

 

"No." Mako had seen that movie.

 

"Then where did the monkey come from? Are you calling me a liar?" Jamie pointed an accusatory finger at the teen, suddenly much more certain that there had indeed been a gorilla in the movie. Mako gave him a side-eyed glare. "Alright," the boy said, throwing his arms up, "so maybe I fell asleep at some point." Mako smiled behind his mask. Jamie always got more animated when he relaxed. It would be good if he could send him off to his class as calm as possible.

 

"Haa," Mako laughed when Jamie kept talking about the end of the movie, leaving out several plot-points he must have missed either by falling asleep or zoning out.

 

"Pfft! I do not have problems with attention, it's everyone else who make things too dull and you know it." Jamie crossed his arms behind his head and looked up at the school that now loomed over them. An unreadable look fell across his face, like he was deep in thought.

 

"Don't," Mako warned. Jamie groaned and rolled his eyes.

 

"I'm not gonna, pops was furious last time I played hookey," Jamie hefted the shoulder strap of his backpack, "though that may have been because I went exploring and got lost. Not my fault all the trees look the same."

 

Mako remembered. Leave it to Jamie to get lost in a small park. No problems with attention, my foot. Jamie sighed, a softer look in his eyes.

 

"Pops got enough to worry about. I’m gonna be good, I promise."

 

Mako's huge hand slapped Jamie's back, knocking that too-wide grin back on the boy's face.

 

"Thanks mate, I got yours too!"

 

***

 

Jesse looked around in the cafeteria. He was fairly certain that his grip on his tray was going to leave dents if he didn't relax.

 

The day had, so far, been fairly okay. He had laid low, sticking to Kenneth and the others during recess and avoiding that Jamieson kid. As far as second days went, it could probably be worse.

 

It was going to be worse, wasn't it?

 

He gave a soft whine, inaudible in the hubbub of the cafeteria. No one in his new group of...  _ friends _ had talked about his arm but he had noticed the not-so-subtle stares. It was only a matter of time before someone asked, experience told him that once the first question had come the others would be not far behind.

 

"Jesse!" He jumped at the call of his name. Marcus had claimed a table and waved him over.

 

He sat down with Marcus, Kenneth, Amanda and someone whose name he hadn't learned yet. Tony? Greg? Something.

 

"Beef stew again," Amanda groaned , "would it kill them to get some good food for us?"

 

"Y'know what I heard? I heard that prisons get more funding for their food than schools do."

 

"Shut up!"

 

Jesse poked at his stew and the not-very-appetizingly hard potatoes. He wasn't really hungry.

 

"This sucks." Kenneth threw his fork down. There was a murmur of agreement, though Jesse, Marcus and... whoever was still eating. Jesse tried to focus on chewing as he felt Kenneth's gaze on him.

 

"Tell us about yourself, Jesse." Kenneth said, propping his arm up on the table and resting his head on his hand. Jesse swallowed hard as he suddenly became the center of attention.

 

"W-what would you like to know?" he asked shakily.  _ I know what you want to know _ , he thought,  _ I just don't know when you'll ask _ .

 

"Where are you from?" Amanda asked. An innocent enough question.

 

"New Mexico. But I lived in California for a while before moving here."  _ Please don't ask why I left either place _ .

 

"My cousin lives in California!" Whatever-his-name-is exclaimed.

 

"No one cares, Tony," Kenneth said, eyes never leaving Jesse, "we're talking about Jesse now." Jesse felt himself shrink under his classmate's stare.

 

"Do you miss your old home?" Amanda continued. Again an innocuous question.

 

"No," Jesse lied. Amanda gave a little humming noise. She was making him increasingly uncomfortable.

 

"So," Kenneth interjected and Jesse tensed even further at his tone, "how'd  _ this _ happen?" He emphasised his word with a sharp poke to Jesse's arm. "Did you get into a fight with a Bastion?"

 

A round of sniggering went around the table, whether at the comment of the way colour drained from Jesse's face was unclear.

 

"... Car accident." Jesse's voice was barely above a whisper. Kenneth raised an eyebrow.

 

"Huh." Jesse couldn't help but to feel like his tone was  _ disappointed _ . "So, how does it work, I mean, how does it move?"

 

Jesse relaxed slightly. How things happened was one thing, how things worked was... more okay. He pulled up his sleeve to expose the full arm.

 

"There's sensors under here," he pointed to the upper part of the arm, "don't know how but they can sort of... feel how I'd move and make the arm follow or something." The doctors had explained it to him in great detail but he had hardly listened to them back then. He kinda wished he did now. Maybe he'd ask for a recap next check-up. "I can't move it very well yet though, they said it could take a while for me to learn."

 

The others nodded around him, Jesse was happy to see fascination in their eyes. Maybe this was going well.

 

"How does it stick?" Marcus asked, "It looks like it's just... stuck to you."

 

"Um, there's a few different ways they can be attached," Jesse began, wracking his brain for whatever he could remember, "some are attacked with harnesses or latches and stuff. Mine is attached by suction." He expected the laughter that came.

 

"Suction? Like, what, like a leech or something?"

 

"Y-yeah, kinda," Jesse tried to laugh with them. The tension was back, but not quite in full force.

 

"Aw, that's gross!" Tony snickered. Kenneth was watching quietly, jaw moving back and forth in tiny movements.

 

"How does it come off?" he asked eventually.

 

"T-there's a–" Jesse took a deep breath as subtly as he could "–there's a button here that gets air into it so it can come off easily. And then you just–"

 

"What, this button?"

 

"Don't!"

 

Jesse watched in muted horror as Kenneth held down the button. He knew it took a few seconds for the air to get in completely but he felt frozen for an eternity. The arm came of with a soft 'pop' when Kenneth tugged on it.

 

"Ew!" someone laughed as Jesse scrambled to get his arm back. The silicon sleeve around his stump had gotten pulled at as well. Jesse cursed as he felt the corners of his eyes prickle.

 

"I– I'll be right back!" he yelled as he dashed off in the direction of the restrooms, gritting his teeth as he heard laughter behind him.

 

His classmates watched him run off, their amused noises subsisting only when Kenneth spoke up.

 

"So, do you guys think the weirdo's limbs come off just as easy?"

 


	4. Being Normal

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In this chapter Mako is the best and two grown men try to figure out how to be people. It's a short chapter because I don't know how to pace.

The restrooms where, thankfully, empty. Jesse cursed loudly to himself as he pulled at his sleeve, trying to make sure there was no air in it. That would just add injury to insult.

 

"I can't–" a sob spilled before he could stop himself. Getting the arm back on by himself was still difficult for him. The first attempt was laughable. The second was just sad. On the third he could barely see as his tears proved to be more stubborn than his resistance.

 

"Damn it!" he yelled and kicked one of the stall doors. He sank down on the tiled floor, clutching his arm to his chest as he thought about his options. He could go the the school nurse, but he wasn't sure that would help much. There was no guarantee they'd know more than him about how to attach a prosthesis. He could call his uncle, but Gabe would no doubt ask what had happened and he did  _ not _ need that right now. Same thing with teachers, they'd either demand that he told them or talk to Gabriel so either way–

 

The sound of a door opening snapped him out of his thoughts. He did not want to be found now, not while he was a crying, one-armed mess. He dashed into one of the stalls to hide.

 

Slow, heavy footsteps moved across the floor, coming to a stop in front of the stalls. They stilled for a moment before moving to the next stall, clearly checking for something.

 

"Come out, boy," a low voice rumbled. Jesse almost let out a whimper. "...I can help you with your arm," it continued.

 

Almost a full minute of silence followed before Jesse gathered up the courage to come out. The owner of the voice was huge, for a moment Jesse was worried it was a teacher but he doubted even they would get away with violating the dress code that much. He was untidy, but not necessarily messy. He looked like the kind of person who didn't mind getting his hands dirty and only cleaned up when he was certain there was no more work to be done. His face was mostly hidden behind a mask.

 

Without a word the large man – boy? His age was difficult to estimate – stepped forward and gripped Jesse's shoulder with one huge hand and pushed against the sleeve on his stump with the other. Jesse could feel the air bubbles move as the silicon was flattened against his skin.

 

"Give me," the stranger ordered, holding out his hand. Jesse handed over his arm. After finding the right angle the arm slipped onto the stump easily. The stranger's strong hands helped Jesse push the last bit before he felt himself bottom out.

 

"Thanks," he said softly as he tried flexing his fingers, "I– thank you." He looked up at the large boy, making sure to look him in the eye as he gave him a nod. He received a grunt in reply.

 

"Those guys," the stranger nodded in the direction of the cafeteria, "they're assholes." Jesse tried to smile, hoping it didn't look as nervous as he felt.

 

"They're not so bad." He looked up at the larger kid, scanning what little he could see of his face for a sign that maybe he was right, even if just a little. Two dark eyes looked down on him, seemingly assessing him as well.

 

"Hm," the larger boy grunted, "give it time." With that, he turned and left Jesse alone again.

 

***

 

Gabriel stared at his stomach. It had just emitted a sound he mostly associated with amphibians. He had misjudged the time and arrived at the gym he applied for work at over an hour before the interview was supposed to start. Getting there early might send the message that he was eager to work but he didn't want them to think he was  _ that _ eager.

 

And he hadn't eaten since breakfast. It had been a meager breakfast.

 

He groaned as his belly made another sound and looked for a place to park his car, there had to be a café nearby.

 

The shopping centre of the town was rather pittoresque. Apparently it had been an old factory that had later been converted into both apartments and a fairly modest shopping district. He found a small café wedged in between a toy store and a nail salon not far from the gym.

 

When he entered the place he found it very quiet. Peaceful, even. It was decorated in dark colors, but without making it take the brightness out of the room. If they had something he liked, and if he got the job, he might make it his go-to place for lunch. He looked at the blackboard where the lunch menu was listed.

 

"I'll have a Croque Monsieur and, er, sparkling water, please," he said once he made eye-contact with the woman behind the desk. She nodded but didn't say anything as she readied a tray for him. He liked that, he came to eat not to small-talk.

 

"Take a seat and your order will be brought to you once it's ready, sir," the woman drawled once he had payed, clearly using the voice of someone who said the same sentence many times, every day.

 

Gabriel took his tray, a forlorn can of carbonated water in one corner, knife and fork wrapped up in a napkin in the other, and looked around for a place to sit. It was fairly empty, despite being lunch-time, a few people sitting in the booths against the wall and a man sitting by the window.

 

A man who was staring at him. This time, he was wearing regular glasses.

 

Gabriel's mind barely had time to register the blue eyes before Jack Morrison gave him a friendly wave. The tiny smile on the pale face was certainly the most charming thing Gabriel had seen today. Steeling himself, and kicking himself for thinking like a teenager with a crush, he crossed over to where Jack was sitting.

 

"May I?" he asked, gesturing to the empty seat from across where Jack was sitting. Jack nodded, making a few quiet excuses as he shuffled his own tray closer to him to make more room.

 

"Nice to see you again so soon," Jack said with a shining smile once Gabriel had settled.

 

"Yeah, same," he replied as he opened his can of water and drank directly from it, "unexpected, but nice."

 

Jack kept smiling at him, eyes moving behind the glasses as he seemed to look him over. Gabriel tried to remember how he had looked last time they had seen each other, how many of his scars were new since then.

 

"I know, I look like shit," he laughed as he brought his hand up to his left cheek, where his scars were particularly pronounced.

 

"What?" Jack's smile faltered for a moment before his eyes moved again, giving Gabriel another once-over. "Because of the scars?"

 

"Well," Gabriel hesitated. He wasn't ashamed of his looks, nor did he actually think he looked bad, but he had gotten used to people having  _ unfavourable _ reactions to his face. "I'm exaggerating, of course. But the way people react..."

 

A sympathetic look crossed over Jack's face. The corner of his mouth twitched upwards, giving Gabriel a glint of his teeth even though it was a small movement. "Civilians..." Jack muttered and gave a small shake of his head.

 

Gabriel gave a small huff of acknowledgement and looked Morrison over. Back at the school he hadn't really had the time to compare his memories to the real thing.

 

Apart from the obvious white hair, the first thing he noticed was different was how he seemed... harder. More lines. Every angle on him seemed sharper. While the young Morrison had been cut and angular as well, it was the kind of angles with rounded corners. This Morrison looked as if he had been sharpened. It was a little intimidating, Gabriel had to admit.

 

"So what brings you here?" Jack asked and the second thing Gabriel noticed was how his voice had changed. It was gruffer, harsher, and not in the way age would have done. In his mind Gabriel listed the kinds of damage to a soldier's throat or lungs that could have caused it.

 

"I'm early for a job interview and I needed to eat something." As if on cue the lady from the counter appeared with his lunch. The toasted bread steamed and his stomach made another sound at the sight of the gooey cheese. "I hope to get a job as a PT, at the gym nearby."

 

A short silence settled as he took his first bite. "Maybe I'll see you there then," Jack said after a while, "I try to go two days a week, if I can."

 

In the mix between natural light from the window and the bright light of the café Gabriel noticed a third thing. A very subtle line ran across Morrison's face, from forehead to jaw line. He only noticed it when the light hit the man's face just right to reveal the slightly raised skin.

 

Gabriel nodded slightly and continued to eat. The slightly awkward silence made him focus entirely on his meal for at least a few minutes.

 

"So," he began as he put down his half-eaten meal and moved to take a sip of his drink, "when did you retire? If you don't mind me asking."

 

Jack gave a small grin, once again showing a glint of teeth. Gabriel realized there was another line over his lips, possibly a scar that hadn't healed perfectly.

 

"About four years ago." There was a firmness to his tone that made Gabriel wonder if it was socially acceptable to continue the talk.

 

"Was it hard?" he asked, "I was discharged a little over two years ago, I haven't really..."

 

"Figured out how to be normal?" Jack interrupted.

 

"Yeah."

 

White hair ruffled as Jack's hand ran through it, looking at nothing as he exhaled loudly. Gabriel chewed his food silently as the other man seemed to look for the right words.

 

"Not sure what to say. Every soldier seems to have their own way to normalcy, if that is what they want to have anyway." Jack looked over at him, a soft look on his face. "Your nephew, are you his caretaker?"

 

"Yeah, a year and a half ago I took him and my niece into my care." He hesitated for a moment. "I'm the only family they have left."

 

For a moment Jack's face fell and Gabriel wondered if he had revealed too much. The two of them were, really, strangers to each other. Perhaps he had taken it too far.

 

"I'm sorry to hear that," Jack said softly. The man adjusted his glasses and coughed before he continued. "For me, becoming a father was my road to a stable life after the military. There are good and bad days, definitely, and it is a very different kind of battle than what I am trained for..."

 

Gabriel watched as the other man relaxed, the lines of his face growing softer. When the soft smile found its way to his lips Jack looked much younger.

 

"It is a good life though, for me at least."

 

"Really? Turning in your bike for a minivan, Stunt Rider?" Gabriel said before he could stop himself. The loud laughter that rewarded him made several patrons turn their heads in their direction.

 

"I haven't been called that in so long!" Jack managed to get out between his breaths, eyes glittering slightly. Gabriel felt his face grew warmer from the sight.

 

The laughter seemed to break the remaining ice between them as the conversation flowed easier from there. They spoke of their time in the military, what they could speak of anyway, and Jack mentioned where good stores where for school supplies and necessities. It was nice, a combination of familiar and new.

 

"What time do you have to be at your interview?" Jack asked eventually. Gabriel checked his phone.

 

"In ten minutes, good thing you said something," he laughed and stood up, gathering his things onto the tray. Jack followed with his own stuff and helped him find the drop-off.

 

_ Should I ask him for his number? _ Gabriel thought,  _ It wouldn't be weird, would it? He's technically my senior now, parenthood-wise. _

 

"Uh—"

 

"Hey I—"

 

They both stopped as they interrupted one another. Jack was holding out a napkin.

 

"My number," he said, and maybe Gabriel just imagined it but he seemed to blush, "in case you need anything."

 

Gabriel muttered a short 'thanks', hoping he didn't look as inelegant as he felt as he took the napkin. A phone number was indeed written on it. He stuffed it in his pocket and gave the younger man a smile.

 

"Thanks for the company," he said and waved as they left the café and went in different directions.

 


	5. TITAN vs MEKA

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> TW for bullies getting aggressive. Also, Gabe is at a loss for what to do.
> 
> I want to take a moment to thank everyone who commented and/or left kudos, it really makes my day. Thank you very much!

Jamie looked up as he saw another car arrive in the corner of his eye. It was not his dad's, and as such he had not interest in it.

 

He was tucked away in a secluded corner of the schoolyard where he could see the road, his last class for the day was over and now he just waited for his ride home. Mako still had a few lessons, German and something else, and because of that Jamie had decided to lay low until his father arrived. Without Mako by his side he knew he was an easy target, despite everything.

 

He had promised he'd be good, and that bit was easy. Getting  _ others _ to be good was something he had not mastered yet though. Avoiding people was a lot simpler.

 

He rummaged through his backpack, pulling out his sketchbook and his pencil case. Might as well work on Hana's present while he waited. He flipped through the pages until he reached the most recent addition, it was almost done now and just needed a bit of color.

 

Jamie smiled to himself. He was rather proud of it so far. The TITAN looked monstrous as intended and the bunny-shaped MEKA was adorable.  _ Hana is going to love it _ , he thought as he dug out a bright pink pencil from his case. He pressed the tip down hard, trying to get the color as vibrant as possible. Nothing but the best for his sortof-sister.

 

"Hey, dirtface!"

 

The tip of the pencil snapped under the pressure.  _ Not now! _

 

He looked up, Marc the Narc and Tony the Phony stood over him.

 

"Fuck off, Marcus," he growled, more out of habit than anything else.

 

"Whatcha got there?" Marcus asked, leaning too far into Jamie's personal space to look at his drawing.

 

"Go away!" Jamie tried, pulling himself back as far as he could, sketchbook clutched to his chest.  _ It's just the two of them _ , he considered,  _ they probably won't try anything _ . A hand came from behind him and grabbed his book, almost pulling it out of his grip.

 

"Drawing something?" Tony said in a mocking tone, tugging hard at the book and pulling Jamie up with it, "Let us see!"

 

"Let go!"

 

A tug-of-war started, with Jamie at the definite disadvantage since he didn't want to tear or crumple the picture. Tony had no such reservations. Caught up in the struggle Jamie failed to notice that Marcus had moved up behind him until a pair of arms snaked under his, hooking under his shoulders to pull him back. Marcus laughed in his ear as he lost his grip.

 

"You wanted me to let go of it?" Tony chuckled as he waved the sketchbook in the air, "Okay, I'll drop it." He flung the book over his shoulder. It landed half-open in the dirt behind him.

 

Jamie snarled, struggling against Marcus' grip. He kicked his legs towards the other kid when he tried to advance.

 

_ They're trying something _ , he realized,  _ they got something planned. _

 

In his position his aim was limited, Tony had no trouble avoiding the kicks and caught the peg-leg easily. He held it up and stepped to the side so Jamie couldn't reach him with his other leg.

 

Frantic, Jamie looked around. He had chosen this corner because it was both secluded  _ and _ close to one of the entrances. He knew both his classmates would be able to talk their way out of the situation-  _ he started it, we just defended ourselves _ \- but they weren't dumb enough to tempt their fate in front of a teacher.

 

A kid was standing by the entrance, just watching them. Even in the middle of the fight Jamie could see the metallic glint of a prosthetic arm.

 

_ Jesse, help me you fucking- _

 

A sharp tug on his leg snapped Jamie back to his situation. When Tony moved to push the leg of his pants up further to expose the top of his peg-leg he felt as if he'd been doused with ice-cold water.

 

"Fucking wanker, let me go!"

 

" _ Hey _ !"

 

Both Marcus and Tony froze at the deep, definitely adult, voice. While he didn't recognize the voice, Jamie had heard the tone before. It was the tone of someone who was used to shouting orders, like his pops or uncle Rein. The two boys let him go, even helping him keep himself steady as a show of good faith. Not a show for Jamie, of course, but for whoever had caught them.

 

Before them stood a tall, dark man, positively oozing authority.

 

"What's going on here?" the stranger asked, Jamie noticed with some glee that both his classmates flinched at the sound of his voice.

 

"N-nothing, we were just fooling around."

 

"Yeah, nothing, sir." The two boys were practically shaking under the man's dark glare. The man regarded the three of them with a cold stare, eyes slightly softer as they passed over Jamie. Briefly, his eyes darted to Jamie's arm and leg. He nodded sharply to the side.

 

"Scram." His voice was like tar over gravel as he growled. Both Marcus and Tony hurried to get out of his sight. Jamie watched them go, sticking his tongue out at them when Tony looked back. Once they were out of sight he turned to look at the stranger, then to where his sketchbook was lying on the ground.

 

"You okay, kid?" the man asked as Jamie went to pick it up. His drawing for Hana was dirtied and creased.

 

"They ruined it..." he muttered, gritting his teeth. He jumped slightly when a warm hand came to rest on his shoulder.

 

"Kid?" Jamie looked up at the man. He was big and scarred, but seemed friendly, much like uncle Rein. A face like his was hard to forget, so Jamie guessed he was new around here.

 

"M’ fine, I can take a lickin' or two," he said as he tried to dust the worst of the dirt from his drawing, "they ruined my picture, though."

 

He blinked when the man took the pad from him, for a moment he was ready to start yelling before he saw the man's eyes. Calm, focused and calculating. Like when pops worked on his bike. He trusted that look.

 

"It's not that bad, you should be able to get the worst off with an eraser or a sponge if you do it gently. And the brown kinda fits in as a background, don't you think?" The man smiled at him. He was starting to like this old man. "And you can get the wrinkles smoothed out if you keep it pressed for a while," He handed the drawing back to Jamie, "I like the TITAN," he finished.

 

Jamie's face split into a wide grin, not many people complimented his drawings. His mood plummeted, however, when he saw Jesse standing behind the man.

 

"H-hi Jamie," the other boy stuttered.

 

"Jesse," he deadpanned in reply.  _ Wanker _ , he though.

 

"You know each other?" the man asked, his eyes turned towards Jesse. The boy nodded, softly.

 

"We're class _ mates _ ," Jamie said, putting a little more emphasis on the last syllable.

 

The man looked at the two boys, Jamie's eyes glaring daggers and Jesse's focusing firmly on the ground. He knelt down, coming down to eye level with Jamie.

 

"Nice to meet you, Jamie. I'm Gabriel, Jesse's uncle." He held out a hand. Jamie shook it, deliberately squeezing a little bit too hard to make sure there was no overlooking the firmness of his own hand. "Good thing Jesse saw you, I wouldn't have noticed you were in trouble otherwise," Gabriel said.

 

Jamie looked back at Jesse.  _ He helped? _ For a moment, Jesse looked up. Scared, brown eyes met his before they fell down again. Jamie's gaze flickered between the boy and his uncle for a moment.

 

"Thanks, I guess," he said with a frown while he put his things back in his bag. Behind the two he could see his dad's car drive into the parking lot. "My ride's here," he explained as he pushed past them. Jamie face hardened during the short dash to the car, but he put on a smile as he jumped into the backseat. The car had barely come to a halt.

 

"Hey pops!" he chirped, flinging himself forward to pull his father into a hug.

 

"Someone's in a good mood," Jack said while nuzzling into his son's hair. Jamie could tell he was surprised, in a good way.

 

"Maybe I just feel bad for ditchin' you this mornin'" Over Jack's shoulder Jamie watched with hardened eyes as Jesse and his uncle moved towards a car.

 

_ C'mon, c'mon, c'mon! Move it _ , he urged in his head.

 

People don't change for the better just like that. If his uncle hadn't arrived Jesse wouldn't have moved a muscle, Jamie was certain of that. As thankful as he was for the timely intervention, he was not going to trust this to be anything other than a one-time thing.

 

Still, he had promised to be good.

 

He buried his head in the crook of his father's neck as he watched "uncle" Gabriel slip into the car with Jesse following suit. He needed a little time to think, a little time without his dad getting distracted again.

 

"An old acquaintance" he had said. Jamie was quite sure  _ old acquaintances _ didn't leave grown men out of their heads, missing turns and sighing wistfully. He had seen uncle Rein talk about auntie Ana more than enough times to recognise the look on his old man's face.

 

He had a feeling he hadn't seen the last of uncle Gabriel.

 

***

 

The apartment was quiet except for the sound of Rosa's tapping on the tablet and the faint and infrequent noises of a page being turned as Jesse read his homework. Both children occasionally glanced at their uncle, who sat in front of the TV despite the fact that his show was over since half an hour ago. His sombre visage was reflected in the blackness of the screen.

 

Rosa felt the atmosphere as if it was corporeal. Ever since her uncle picked her up from kindergarten the two men of the family had been tense. Gabriel was deep in thought, having said very little since they came home, and Jesse reminded her of a cartoon she had seen with a balloon getting stuck in a field of cacti.

 

"What's for dinner, Gabi?" she asked eventually, her uncle almost jumped at the sound.

 

"What?"

 

"Dinner. What are we going to eat?" she repeated patiently.

 

"Oh. Right," Gabriel said, as if he just remembered about the existence of food. He thought about what they had in the fridge for a moment. Nothing simple and nothing microwaveable, as far as he remembered. "Pizza?"

 

The kids perked up and Gabriel picked up his phone from where it had been lying on the coffee table. It was late and he was, frankly, not in the mood to cook at the moment. He'd been all over the place today, emotionally anyway.

 

On one hand, the interview went great and he got Jack's number. On the other, he caught a couple of bullies red-handed. Bullying a handicapped kid.

 

He gritted his teeth as he looked for the closest pizza place that made deliveries – it's amazing how even small towns seem to have an abundance of Italian resturants – and thought about the poor kid again. The way he had seemed so used to the situation had twisted something in Gabriel's gut. He remembered how long it had taken for Jesse to admit to anyone what his old classmates were saying, _doing_ , to him. The look on his nephew's face when he finally told him after the bullies had been caught in the act had hurt more than any bullet he had taken.

 

"Same as always?" he asked the kids as he dialed the number he found. They both nodded without a word. He made their orders, one meat-lover's pizza and a vesuvio because Rosa and Jesse could never agree on anything else, and sank back down into the couch.

 

"Jesse?" he asked after a while. "That Jamie kid," Gabriel wasn't looking but if he had he would have seen Jesse flinch, "do you think he's alright?"

 

Jesse said nothing, staring down at his homework. After a while Gabriel looked up.

 

"Jesse?"

 

"Don't know," the boy said softly. "Don't really know him."

 

"Have you seen anyone bully him before?"

 

"No." The reply was a little too sharp.

 

"You sure?"

 

"I've only been in school two days!" Jesse snapped, making his uncle's eyebrows shoot up.

 

The two looked at each other, with Rosa watching them both. All three were quiet, gears turning in all of their heads as they observed one another. The odd staring match ended when Jesse stood up, gathered his things and headed off to his and Rosa's room.

 

Gabriel exhaled sharply, placing his head in his hands. Again, he knew what he would have done with his subordinates but had no clue on how to act as a  _ proper _ member of society.

 

He knew he needed to tell someone thought, someone needed to help the kid.

 

He got up and went to his study, which was just a fancy word for the room where he kept his computer, and looked through his email until he found the list with Mrs.Wick's kids and their families contact information. Skimming through the list he found no one by the name Jamie, but he found one that was close.

 

"Jamieson Fawkes," he mumbled to himself and looked at the phone number listed. A few numbers in he was hit with a sense of dejá vu.

 

What do you say to a parent when you think their kid is bullied? Do you tell it like it is, stating facts and let the pieces fall where they may? Do you suggest it, try to probe them into asking the kid themselves? What do you do if the parents start to cry, get angry, don't believe you or... don't care?

 

Gabriel sighed heavily and shook his head. Maybe he should ask someone for advice first.

 

He went out to the hall and rummaged through the pocket of his coat, fishing out the neatly folded napkin from the café. Old Stunt Rider had been a source of stability for the team all those years ago, keeping them focused on what was right and what they were fighting for. Maybe he had some insight on the matter.

 

His eyes skimmed over the thin piece of paper.

 

He looked the numbers over again.

 

And again.

 

He rushed back to his computer, Rosa's curious eyes following him where he went.

 

Holding up the napkin to the screen, comparing the information number by number, he felt his stomach drop.

 

"Shit."

 

As if this wasn't hard enough already.

 


	6. Photographs

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I love Hana and wish I could find a way to get her more screentime in the fic, but writing 4 year olds is surprisingly hard for me...
> 
> And thank you so much for the incredible response I got from the last chapter. I cried, several times.

"Okay, one more time," Jamie urged.

 

Hana nodded and gripped the leather-bound book harder to her chest. Jamie watched as she took a deep breath and closed her eyes. When they shot open again her gaze was as warm and sweet as molten chocolate.

 

"Jaaack," she crooned, "tell me again about _eomma_!"

 

Jamie grinned. Hana was a natural actress. The addition of a little korean would no doubt make his father melt just enough.

 

"Very good! And if he gets distracted?"

 

"I miss _eomma_ and _appa_!" The wail was just right, whiny but also endearing enough. They both giggled, it had been a while since they challenged themselves like this.

 

"Alright. Ready?" Jamie asked, peeking out of their room. An affirmative noise came as he saw his dad head into the kitchen. "Go," he whispered, following a few steps behind Hana as she dashed after Jack.

 

"Jaaack, tell me again about _eomma_!" she cried and held out the album.

 

Jamie had never met his grandparents – well, his _adoptive_ grandparents at least, he wasn't sure about his biological ones – and Jack didn't speak of them much, but one thing his dad had taken after them was their habit of keeping old-fashioned photo albums. Half a row in the bookcase in the living room was dedicated to the albums, with room to spare for future volumes. There were many memories there, Jack's childhood, teenage years, military life...

 

Maybe Jamie could find out if uncle Gabriel was who he thought he was, subtly, with the help of the albums.

 

Jack's face lit up when Hana pushed the old book into his hands, eyes going soft at the shift in language. Jamie took note of it, smiling slightly about his prediction being correct.

 

"Again?" Jack laughed, but moved back into the living room to sit on the sofa. Hana scrambled up to sit next to him, with Jamie following at a slow pace to sit at his other side. _Play it cool_ , he thought.

 

The album flipped open, revealing glossy photos surrounded with neat handwriting. Sometimes they were short descriptions, sometimes long paragraphs. Jamie loved these pictures, taken back when Jack was blond like him. In some pictures he even had visible freckles. The boy had vague memories of a blonder Jack, but his hair had lost its color by the time Jamie was six.

  


"Ah, here she is," Jack called out when they got to a picture with a slender woman holding a younger Jack in a playful headlock. Jamie cursed inwardly. He had hoped to get a glimpse of the earlier pictures before they got to Hana's parents.

 

Under the picture was a short description. _Hye Song beat my high score at the shooting range_.

 

"I tried to win back my bragging rights for weeks," Jack explained when Hana cooed at the sight of her mother, "when I finally did she showed up ten minutes later and beat me again. I think she actually held back the first time so that she could one-up me again."

 

They flipped the page. Hye's face could be seen in several of the following pictures. One of them was a sombre picture of her sitting in front of a vid-comm, a soft smile on her faintly illuminated face.

 

 _Hye celebrating her anniversary long-distance_. A little sad face was doodled beside it.

 

"Never understood how your parents managed to stay apart like that," Jack murmured, "it must've been terrible."

 

Hana shot Jamie a glance. He shook his head.

 

They turned another page. It wasn't until Jack's arm came to close around Jamie's shoulder that he noticed he had tensed up, his hand gripping his father's shirt.

 

On this page there was a picture of Jack, heavily bandaged in a med-bay. Hye was by his side, face frozen mid-yell. Despite that, Jack was smiling in the picture.

 

_Haven't been yelled at like this since Commander Reyes._

 

"It's okay, Jamie," his father mumbled as he pulled the boy closer to him. Jamie nodded, stiffly. He didn't have time to get caught up in memories anyway, there was an opportunity here.

 

"Who was Reyes again?" he asked as innocently as possible.

 

"My old Commander, back when I was," Jack trailed off as he turned the pages to get back to the early part of the album, "when I was around 25. A hard-ass, but a good man."

 

The pages fell open to reveal a group picture, a very young Jack giving a smart salute alongside several soldiers. A little to the side stood a familiar face.

 

"Here, Gabriel Reyes." Jack pointed at the dark man. Jamie tried to keep his face neutral. It was definitely uncle Gabriel. "He yelled at me a lot for taking unnecessary risks. He was a 'no man left behind' kind of man and I... had a tendency to forget that included me." he laughed.

 

On the next page was another picture of Jack and a fellow soldier. Gabriel could be seen in the background, perhaps watching him.

 

"Funny, I kinda thought he hated me for a while. When I left his service he seemed relieved." Jack's voice grew just a little bit softer. "I never held it against him, though. To a man like him I must have been a nightmare to deal with. All cocky and headstrong."

 

Jack quieted, his hand coming up to stroke his son's hair. "Remember when I told you I might've met your new classmate's uncle? I think that was him." Jamie nodded, cuddling closer to his father. He gritted his teeth when his face was hidden in Jack's shirt. Damn it. He had hoped they hadn't met yet.

 

"Jamie, are you..?"

 

"I miss _eomma_ and _appa_!" Hana wailed. For a moment Jack seemed torn between the two kids, but when Jamie smiled at his sortof-sister and reached out a comforting hand he turned his attention to the girl.

 

"I know, sweetie," Jack crooned and pulled Hana into a hug. She looked over her guardian's shoulder and locked eyes with Jamie. He gave her a thumbs up.

 

They looked through the album for a bit longer. Jack stopped once in awhile to tell Hana some anecdote about her mother, but Jamie wasn't listening. When Jack talked about Gabriel his voice _definitely_ had the same tone in it as uncle Rein's had when he talked about auntie Ana.

 

The boy glanced over to his sortof-sister. She sat there, clutching Jack's arm, eyes sparkling as she hung onto every word about her parent. Jamie loved her, had fun with her, he'd miss her when her parents came back for her.

 

That didn't mean he was happy about sharing his pops.

 

He gave Jack's arm a quick squeeze before he hopped off the sofa and went to his room. Pulling out his drawing pad from his bag he sat down at his desk and flipped the pages until he got to the picture for Hana. There was still dirt on it, some grit had dented the paper and the creases needed to be held down if he wanted it to be flat.

 

He had _just_ gotten used to having Hana around, _just_ gotten to the point where he felt his father wasn't letting go of him and some _blast from the past_ person was going to come next? He growled to himself as he looked around for some heavy stuff to weigh the picture down with. He picked a tape dispenser, a cup filled with pencils, the textbook he was supposed to read for homework – hah! As if, Mrs.Wick – and a picture frame. He placed each of the items on the corners of the drawing, eyes stopping to gaze at the picture frame for a moment.

 

The picture was about two years old, Jack stood in the centre holding Jamie on his arm. They had gone to play mini-golf that day, Jack argued that it was going to be both fun and good training for his arm since he was still somewhat uncoordinated back then.

 

He liked the picture, he especially liked that it was taken before his pops had started to use concealer to hide his facial scars.

 

The two dark lines across Jack's face made him look like an action hero, as far as Jamie was concerned. Before he was told to stop Jamie had gone around telling anyone who would listen that his dad was a real hero, a proper one like in the comics and movies.

 

He never did understand why his pops had started to hide his scars and told Jamie to not bring it up all the time. Uncle Reinhardt had said something about Jack being humble, but he didn't buy it.

 

"Jamie?" Jack called from the door. Jamie put back the picture on the desk, he hadn't even realized he had been holding it, and looked up at his father.

 

"Yeah?"

 

"You okay? You seemed a little... tense earlier."

 

Jamie looked away, he hadn't quite prepared an excuse yet.

 

"M' fine, I just..." he looked back at the picture on the desk, "I just don't really like those pictures, the ones where you are hurt." As far as excuses went it'd have to do, since it wasn't a total lie.

 

Jack smiled solemnly at his son and walked up to him to kneel down. A comforting, warm hand came to rest at the boy's shoulder.

 

"You know what I say, bones heal, pain is temporary..."

 

"... scars look good," Jamie finished, looking up at his father's face. With the concealer only the hint of raised skin revealed any trace of the scars.

 

Jack's face faltered for a moment. Blue eyes locked with amber ones, both looking deeper than their words would reach.

 

"Did something happen, Jamie?" he asked softly. Before he could stop himself Jamie's eyes darted to his drawing. Jack stood up, moving the tape dispenser and pencil jar to get a better look.

 

"This is the drawing you're making for Hana, right?"

 

"Yeah."

 

"What happened to it?"

 

Jamie looked at the floor. His peg-leg barely grazed the carpet under his chair as he swung it back and forth.

 

"I dropped it," he lied.

 

"Jamieson..." The use of his full name made him bite his lips. Unlike many parents who used their children's full names when they were angry, Jack used his full name when he was _sad_. Which was much worse, from Jamie's perspective.

 

"It's nothing, pops," he tried to snap, but there was no heat in it.

 

Jack carefully placed the items back on their respective corners. When he was done he turned the picture frame towards himself to get a better look at it.

 

"Been awhile since we went golfing together," he said after a while, "maybe we could go this weekend? Just you and me, I'm sure Rein can take care of Hana."

 

"Think they'll let us back in?" Jamie laughed quietly, remembering the fuzz they had made last time. Jamie had gotten tired of missing the ball, so he picked it up and just threw it instead. He got a hole-in-one. The owners had a policy that all children under 10 who got a hole-in-one would receive a free ice-cream, Jack had argued that they never stated that the rules had to be followed for that. At one point he yelled _"screw your rules, that was an amazing throw!"_

 

"I can be very persuasive, you know that." It was true, he had gotten his ice-cream after all. Jack leaned forward to kiss his son's forehead and ruffled his hair. "I'm going to go get dinner started, mac'n'cheese tonight."

 

Jamie pulled at the corners of his drawing when Jack had left, trying to pull the picture taut. After a while his father came back with two albums, a kitchen towel and a damp cloth.

 

"Here, this'll help with the creases," he said, putting down one of the albums and then the towel on top of that. He picked up the drawing and ran the wet cloth across the back of it before putting it down on the towel, face-up. The second album went on top of that. "Now we'll let it sit overnight and it should be fine."

 

"Thanks, pops," Jamie murmured, standing up to give his dad a hug. Strong arms enveloped him, lifting him up until his chin could rest on Jack's shoulder.

 

"Love you, Jamie. I'm here whenever you need me," Jack mumbled into his son's hair.

 

Jamie said nothing, letting his fierce hug be answer enough.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And because I am so shamelessly in deep in this AU I actually drew a [picture of the picture](http://maidenmart.tumblr.com/post/157152821193/reasons-to-make-junkrat-jacks-child-in-your) Jamie looks at towards the end.


	7. Rich-man, Poor-man

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In this chapter Reinhardt is adorable when skipping rope, Gabe's gay is showing, Jamie has a big weakness and Gabe's gay keep showing.

"C'mon, five more!" Gabriel called out over the music. His client, a young woman who was new to the gym, was grunting with every rep as she lifted the bar over her head. Her movements were too fast, he had told her as much. She hadn't learned how to pace herself yet and the exhaustion was plain on her face.

 

Four days into his new job and he was getting settled in quite nicely. His co-workers were nice, his clients so far had been eager to learn even if he had to rein himself in a few times to remain as Gabriel Reyes, PT, instead of Drill Sergeant Reyes.

 

Also, it was a nice distraction from the whole _how the hell am I going to talk to Jack_ thing and _what is wrong with Jesse and how do I talk to him_ business.

 

The boy had been so quiet, so tense the last week. Rosa had expressed her concerns several times. Anytime Gabriel had managed to ask Jesse if someone had done something to him he received a firm "no" that he wasn't sure if he trusted.

 

Then Rosa had asked if _he_ had done something and...

 

Well, Gabriel wasn't sure what was worse. The quiet or the shouting.

 

"Five!" his client yelled triumphantly and put the bar back in its place. An exhausted smile graced her lips as she bent over and took several deep breaths.

 

"Well done," he praised. He kinda liked this part of the job. Being supportive, building up people without breaking them down first. When the girl came back up he raised his hand to offer her a high-five. "Great job today."

 

The music was a loud, thumping background noise as he went over a few pointers with the young woman, jotting down a few notes on a piece of paper for her to make use of next session. He liked the atmosphere of the gym. Rhythmic, active and steady. A nice break from the current chaos of his private life.

 

Once he and his client parted ways he made his way through the gym to get to the break room for some downtime. He had no more clients for the day, but if anyone needed him he'd stick around for a while. When he passed by a room he heard a booming sound that caught his attention.

 

_"Seer, seer, please tell me!_

_Tell me what my fortune will be!"_

 

Gabriel suppressed a laugh as he looked through the doorway. A comically large man was training with a skipping rope, singing an old rhyme like a child. He failed to contain a snort as the man continued.

 

_"Sniper, sniper, sniper snipe?_

_Sniper, sniper, sniper snipe snipe?"_

 

"You're cheating!" another voice called. A very familiar voice.

 

"Am not! I'm trying not to cheat! You do it if it bothers you!" the giant man laughed as he kept jumping.

 

"Fine!" the other voice said. Gabriel took a step into the room to get a better look.

 

_"Seer, seer, please tell me!_

_Tell me what my fortune will be!_

_Rich-man, poor-man, beggar-man, thief?_

_Soldier, sniper, commander-in-chief?"_

 

The sight of Jack skipping rope and chanting the old rhyme alongside the larger man was amusing to say the least. Sweat soaked his short hair and ran down his face. His gym clothes, baggy pants and a long-sleeved shirt, bounced loosely around his frame with each jump.

 

_"Singer, dancer, cute plaything?_

_White knight, black queen, gracious—"_

 

Jack faltered as his eyes met Gabriel's, making him miss his rhythm and get his foot caught in the rope.

 

_"—King?"_

 

Gabriel gave a small wave, unnoticed by the larger man who ceased his jumping and threw his head back and laughed loud enough to be heard by the entire floor.

 

"King!" he echoed as he gathered his rope in one hand. "All hail King Consort John!" he continued as he bowed deeply.

 

"Call me that again and it will be death by skipping rope for you," Jack grinned, brandishing his rope like a weapon before turning back to Gabriel and giving a friendly nod.

 

"We got to stop meeting like this," Gabriel grinned, adopting a relaxed stance.

 

"Hah! I see you got the job," the other man laughed, gesturing to the standard black t-shirt and sweats with the gym's logo that passed for a uniform.

 

"Yeah, fortunately black's my color."

 

"I'll say." There was a flash of... something in Jack's eyes as he said it, one that reminded Gabriel of the fact that he had just witnessed the younger man sweaty, flushed, out of breath and _bouncing_. He stomped that thought to the curb as quickly as he could.

 

"Ah! You must be Gabriel Reyes!" the giant, bearded man exclaimed and held out a big hand. "Reinhardt Wilhelm, ex-Crusader. Jack has told me many things about you!"

 

Gabriel shook the hand, actually awed. He had met few Crusaders in his time, always having heard them being described as "larger than life". It was certainly a fitting description. The man's grip was almost hard enough to bruise and Gabriel was certain he was holding back.

 

"Wilhelm? As in Crusader Wilhelm, Slayer of Dragons?" he asked, eyebrows raised.

 

"The very same!" Reinhardt boomed. The story of how a lone crusader crushed the Dragons gang all by himself was a popular story among the fans of the Crusaders. "Of course, whatever you've heard it was probably exaggerated greatly. They did not have scales and they did not breath fire, I assure you."

 

"Yeah, because it is totally different that they had hard-light armor and flamethrowers," Jack deadpanned and gave the bigger man a light punch to the arm.

 

"Very different! Don't tell Hana though, she likes that story."

 

"She likes your hammy acting."

 

"That too!"

 

As he watched the two men Gabriel couldn't help but to feel like an intruder, the two of them were clearly close friends and he was... not. Jack's eyes gleamed when he smiled, his whole posture relaxed and calm. The soft chuckling that spilled from his lips when the Crusader joked with him was almost unheard, drowned out by the clamor around them.

 

Gabriel hated that he'd have to ruin it. He'd been stalling long enough.

 

"Jack," he began, his tone serious enough to make the bespectacled man focus only on him, "I need to talk to you, do you have a few minutes?"

 

Jack stared at him for a moment, face unreadable and passive.

 

"Sure, but can we finish our session here first? We're almost done," he replied.

 

"Yeah, I'm off the clock soon. See you outside?"

 

"Alright, twenty minutes?"

 

Gabriel nodded and left the two men alone. Twenty minutes to change and think. He groaned, as inaudible as Jack's chuckle and tried to prepare himself.

 

***

 

"Hey Jesse, where have you been lately?" While kind and melodic, Jesse had started to cringe at the sound of Amanda's voice. Everything she said seemed to be a double-edged sword. She reminded him of how Rosa could be when she was in a teasing mood, but much worse.

 

He turned from his locker to face her. She, Kenneth and Tony stood side by side, all watching him. With a gulp he hoped wasn't audible he tried to put on a braver face.

 

"Around," he got out.

 

"You're not still upset about that whole arm thing, are you?" Kenneth asked, putting his hands on his hips. "We said we're sorry, can't do much more than that."

 

"No, no I'm not. I'm just _—_ " Another gulp. " _—_ I'm just not used to this place yet, bit hard to find my way around here."

 

"Aw, Jesse. If you need anything you can just ask us." Amanda smiled. It didn't reassure him at all.

 

"Yeah, I— _"_

 

A sound made Jesse look up. Down the corridor he saw the big kid from the restroom, slow and heavy like a planet. In front of him, walking like the floor had ticked him off, was Jamieson. The _thock_ as his peg-leg came down with each step alerted anyone nearby of his presence.

 

"Uh-oh, the rat and his pig are here," Tony laughed, though Jesse felt he was more quiet than usual.

 

Jamie stalked up to his locker— Jesse had noted that there were more scratches on it than last week— opening it to pull out a jacket, his bag and a big helmet.

 

Jesse felt something poke his shoulder. Kenneth withdrew his finger and grinned at him.

 

"Check this out," he said and walked over to the duo. Tony and Amanda seemed to tense up as the larger kid drew himself up and stood protectively by Jamie's side as the boy pulled on his jacket.

 

"Rutledge, Fawkes," he started in a conversational tone. The big kid grunted, Jamie ignored him. "Nice helmet, Fawkes, suits your big head."

 

A shiver went up Jesse's spine when the big one _growled_ , a primal sound that shouldn't come from a human being. Looking over to his classmates he noted he wasn't the only one who felt it. Kenneth, however, didn't seem to care.

 

"That jacket looks too big as well, _Fawkes_ ," he continued. From where he stood Jesse could only see Jamie's back but he did notice the slight tremble of his arms and shoulders.

 

"What is he doing?" Jesse whispered to Tony, who gave him a cold smile in return.

 

"You'll see."

 

A big hand came down onto Jamie's shoulder and seemed to give a gentle squeeze. The boy slammed his locker shut and locked it, all the while ignoring the other lad.

 

"Guess it makes sense, you wouldn't have any clothes that fit you since your daddy—"

 

"Shut up." The hissed reply was almost inaudible.

 

"What was that, _Fawkes_?" Kenneth grinned, not hiding the taunting sound of his voice. The big kid's grip seemed to tighten around Jamie's shoulder, pulling him away and down the hall. "Aw, are you running away? Are you?" he continued, almost laughing.

 

"It's Fawkes-Morr—" Jamie began before a firm tug pulled at him, a warning grunt came from his companion.

 

"Says ' _Fawkes_ ' on the roster." A cold chuckle rang through the hallway. "Run away, rat. You're a coward, just like your dad."

 

Later, when he had time to think about the event, Jesse would note that the helmet flying through the air was very well aimed.

 

***

 

"There you are."

 

Gabriel turned around, facing Jack. He was wearing a pair of thick pants and a leather jacket, his bag slung over his shoulder and a motorcycle helmet under his arm. A small smile graced his lips.

 

Gabriel _really_ hated that he'd have to ruin it.

 

"It was good meeting you, Gabriel! I'll see you later, Jack!" Reinhardt boomed as he walked past them, making his way towards the parking lot. The two men waved at the giant before turning their attention back to one another.

 

"So, no minivan?" Gabriel asked, gesturing towards the helmet.

 

"No, not today," Jack laughed, "not that I have a minivan, got a regular car but I promised my son I'd pick him up with the bike today."

 

Gabriel bit his lip, finding it difficult to form words. Jack fiddled with the helmet, turning it this way and that as he continued.

 

"He's been a bit blue lately, going for a ride usually cheers him up. I think school is bothering him. He gets bored easy and sometimes he gets into trouble." Jack rambled, not once looking up at Gabriel's face. The older man took a deep breath.

 

"You kid, is his name Jamie?" he asked, "Dual amputee? Peg-leg instead of a regular prosthesis?" Jack froze. For a moment he remained unmoving. When he spoke up his voice was low and level.

 

"You've either met him or you are really good at guessing." A hint of concern flashed across Jack's face as he finally did look up. "Did... did something happen?"

 

Gabriel steeled himself, feeling eerily close to how he had felt whenever one of his men asked "how bad is it?"

 

"Last Friday, when I went to pick up my nephew..." he began, taking another breath before he continued, "I caught two kids bullying another kid. Bullying Jamie. I think they would've hurt him if I hadn't done something."

 

There. It was said. Hopefully this would help the kid. Jack looked at him, silently. The air around them whispered and the low rumble of cars and people could be heard in the distance.

 

"Was it them who threw his drawing on the ground?" Jack asked eventually. His voice was quiet, and surprisingly soft. His usual gravelly sound becoming decidedly more sandy. Gabriel nodded, not sure of what to say. "Did you see what the kids looked like?" came the next question.

 

"Uh, one had shaggy, sandy hair. Pale kid. The other had short, dark hair and tan skin." He hadn't really memorized the boys' appearance, general looks would have to suffice.

 

"I think I know them," Jack said, a hint of his growling voice returning. "I— thank you for letting me know. Jamie... doesn't tell me much about school these days." He went back to fidgeting with the helmet, tapping his finger to its surface.

 

"This has happened before," Gabriel stated, shoulders slumping as Jack gave a weak nod. The younger man went back to not looking at him. Like this he was a far cry from the hardened soldier he used to be.

 

"I— I'm going to pick Jamie up now," Jack spoke up, "what about you?"

 

"I was going to pick Jesse up too, I just... needed to talk to you first." Gabriel’s voice was resigned, the reaction Jack had given to the news was not what he had hoped for. He didn’t know _what_ he had hoped for though, just that this wasn’t it.

 

They moved towards the parking lot, Jack eventually stopped messing with his helmet and took a deep breath. It seemed to calm him down a bit. When he finally talked again his voice was back to normal.

 

"Really Gabe, thank you." he said before he pulled off his glasses— a sight that Gabriel definitely approved of— to put on his helmet easier. Once it was on he pulled up the visor and slipped the glasses back on. "I worry about my boy, y'know. He's a proud lad, and brave. Sometimes that backfires, he doesn't ask for help easily."

 

"Reminds me of someone I used to know," Gabriel smirked and gave Jack a pointed look. A muffled chuckle accompanied the small shake of the younger man's head.

 

"Well, since we're both going in the same direction, guess I'll see you at school?" Jack’s muffled voice asked as he moved over to his motorcycle. It was an old model, with actual wheels rather than one of those new hovercycles. It was also a huge beast of a bike; a subtle red on darker red paintjob created flame-like patterns along its form.

 

"Yeah, see you there." Gabriel went to his car, glancing over once to see Jack swing his leg over the bike. Feeling a bit better than before he allowed himself to wish he looked just as good slipping into his own vehicle.

 


	8. Resolve

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter was awesome/horrible to write. Lots of cathartic anger here. I should probably add 'Slow Burn' to the tags since we're at chapter 8 now and they haven't even touched each other. Not even a handshake...

As he drove to the school, Gabriel allowed his thoughts to wander slightly. Jack's face weighed heavily on his mind, the almost _defeated_ look in the former soldier's eyes darkening his visage like a sunspot. It wasn't a good look on him.

 

He shouldn't be surprised it turned out that what happened to Jamie hadn't been the first time. _I can take a lickin'_ , the boy had said. _He doesn't tell me much about school these days_ , Jack had supplied.

 

_Nothin' to worry about_ , Jesse had said only a few months ago. And only last week he had snapped when Gabriel pressed him about Jamie.

 

They arrived at the school at the same time, silently grouping up and moving towards the entrance. At the bottom of the stairs leading to the row of doors sat a plump kid who looked up when they got close. Jack stopped dead in his tracks.

 

"Mako?" he asked, making the kid stand up. He was tall, almost as tall as the two grown men.

 

"Mr.Morrison, sir," the boy nodded, voice mellowed by the mask he wore.

 

"Friend of yours?" Gabriel inquired.

 

"Friend of Jamie," Jack clarified with a sigh, "where is he, Mako?"

 

The large boy turned around and nodded towards the bushes by the stairs. "There was an incident," he rumbled, motioning for Jack to follow him. Gabriel followed as well.

 

There was an empty space behind the stairs, big enough for a kid to get in under them but small enough to make it uncomfortable to do so. Jamie sat huddled underneath, his eyes and nose red and dripping.

 

"Jamieson..." Jack whispered, crouching down and reaching out for the boy.

 

"Sorry, pops," Jamie sniffed before he crawled out and into his father's arms. He said nothing more, just burying his face in Jack's jacket. Jack had a crestfallen look on his face, briefly looking up at the older man with almost pleading eyes.

 

The scene was awfully familiar to Gabriel. He stepped up to the two and knelt down, placing a hand on Jack's back. For a while they just sat there, Jack rubbing Jamie's back and Gabriel rubbing Jack's.

 

"Let's go home," Jack murmured, his voice once again taking on that sandy quality, "where's your helmet?"

 

"..."

 

"Jamie?"

 

"... threw it at Kenneth." the boy whimpered. Jack's face twisted. Indignation, fear, anger and understanding merging into some sort of franken-expression. "M' sorry..." Jamie apologized again.

 

"He deserved it," Mako growled. Jack hung his head, pulling his son closer too him. The desire to comfort clashing with the need to discipline was one Gabriel recognized clearly. "I'll get it," Mako continued, making his way to the stairs again. He stopped when a figure dashed through the doors and ran to the bottom of the stairs, frantically looking around.

 

"Jesse..?" Gabriel murmured to himself.

 

The boy's eyes fell on Mako, eyes briefly lighting up as he approached the large kid. Jesse was clutching something to his chest, holding it like an adventurer protecting a stolen treasure.

 

"You! Where—" he began before he looked past Mako and saw his uncle and Jack.

 

And Jamie.

 

With one quick look up at Mako – who grunted his approval – Jesse hurried over to the three.

 

"Here!" he said, holding out a helmet to the blond boy.

 

Silence fell over the small group. Jesse looked scared, but hopeful. His gaze never wavered from Jamie's face as he held out the headgear towards him. Jamie, in turn, looked like he was caught completely off-guard, eyes wide and darting between the helmet and Jesse's eyes. Slowly, hesitantly, he reached out and took the helmet.

 

It was hard to tell because of the mask, but if someone had looked closer it may have seemed like Mako was smiling.

 

The silence was marred only by soft sniffles from Jamie and Jesse's deep breathing as the boy seemed to brace himself. The young brunette clenched and unclenched his hands, left hand slightly less responsive than the right.

 

"Kenneth's a jerk!"

 

Gabriel almost gasped. The look in his nephew's eyes as he said it was downright piercing. In that moment, however briefly, he saw his sister in those eyes.

 

Jamie seemed almost shocked at the sudden outburst, mouth slightly open and eyes still wide as he looked at his classmate. Beside him, Jack covered his mouth with his hand. Gabriel couldn't tell if he was surprised or...

 

Happy?

 

"He _is_ a jerk!" Jamie cried suddenly.

 

"The biggest jerk!" Jesse agreed, a small grin gracing his face. There was a noticeable gleam to his eyes now, the barest hint of redness around them.

 

There was an actual sob from Jack as the boys hiccuped with both giggles and sniffles. Even if he didn't want to ruin the moment, Gabriel couldn't stop himself from pulling his nephew towards him to give him a hug and a kiss.

 

"Come on, Jamie. Let's go home, before someone asks us to stay," Jack urged as he stood up. Jamie nodded, hugging his helmet close to his chest as he took a deep breath to calm himself. The two walked towards Jack's motorcycle, Jamie stopping once as he passed by Mako to pull at the big boy's sleeve. Mako leaned down, allowing Jamie to whisper something in his ear.

 

Once the two had put on their helmets and sat up on the motorcycle Jack looked over at his old commander. With most of his face covered it was hard to see his expression, but Gabriel felt the same flutter in his belly as he did when Jack smiled at him. He revved the engine, then gave a quick salute before they sped off.

 

***

 

The rest of the day passed by with little fanfare. Gabriel had lost count of the amount of times he had picked up his phone, started a message for Jack – just a simple one, asking how he was – and given up.

 

Maybe he had a problem with phones or something.

 

He lay in his bed, glaring at the screen in his hand. A simple text was written out but not sent. Again. What what he afraid of anyway? Upsetting Jack? He had faced omnics and terrorists during his time in the army, but making a cute guy upset brings him to a halt?

 

Fuck that.

 

He deleted the message and typed out a new one, something simple and careful to test the waters.

 

'You okay?' he wrote. After a moment he added 'It's Gabe', in case Jack hadn't added his number to his phone. A strange feeling, like a sandstorm confined to his chest, came over him as he hit 'send'.

 

_Okay, that wasn't that bad_ , he thought to himself. _Feeling a bit weird, but not horrible. And now the ball is in his court and I can—_

 

He was fairly certain he lost a few years of his life when his phone buzzed in his hand. In the silence of his room the notification sound was deafening. A picture of an envelope with Jack’s name beside it floated up the screen. It was opened with a quick tap.

 

' _Not really_ '

 

Gabriel's heart sank. When the phone buzzed again he wasn't nearly as surprised.

 

_'There's been phonecalls'_

 

Another buzz.

 

_'I'm not doing so well'_

 

Gabriel sat up, typing out a new message with newfound courage.

 

'Wanna talk?'

 

The sandstorm picked up speed as he hit send again, but this time he felt more confident. This time the buzzing came as a relief.

 

_'Yeah can I call you?'_

 

He smiled to himself as he answered in the affirmative. Moments later his phone came alive with his ringtone. He steeled himself. Inhale. Hold. Count. Exhale. Accept call.

 

"Hey," he spoke into the phone.

 

" _Hey_ ," came the reply, sounding a lot more tired than last time they saw each other. " _I, uh. I'm glad you contacted me._ "

 

"Yeah?"

 

" _Yeah. I..._ " A long sigh. " _Otherwise it'd just be me and a second glass of whiskey._ "

 

Gabriel flinched. "That bad, huh?" he managed to get out.

 

" _I got calls from both Mrs.Wick and the Johnson's, that's – that's Kenneth's parents._ "

 

"Johnson's, you say?" Gabriel chuckled to himself, "no wonder their kid is a jerk, he's raised by dicks." The laughter from the other side of the line was quiet, but less reserved than the laugh at the café. He liked it. "You want to talk about it or... talk about anything else?" he asked after a while.

 

" _Will you listen either way?_ " The reply was slightly slurred and muffled.

 

"I wouldn't make the offer otherwise, Jack."

 

For a while, all Gabriel heard was Jack breathing and stammering something once in awhile as if looking for the words and failing. He remained quiet, hoping it would urge the other man to take the first step. Seemed like he needed it. A loud groan came through eventually.

 

" _I fucking hate that kid!_ " Jack cried. Gabriel was almost taken aback by the heat in his voice. " _It's terrible, and I know I shouldn't, but I fucking hate him!_ " There was a sobbing sound now, making Gabriel feel cold in his chest.

 

" _I'm – I'm sorry I shouldn't—_ " Jack started before being shushed quickly.

 

"Keep going Jack, it's okay," Gabriel murmured into the phone, "don't hold back, get it out. I'll be here."

 

Heavy breathing on both sides occupied the line. In his mind Gabriel could imagine Jack's blue eyes glittering with unshed tears as his chest heaved with every weighted breath. It stirred something in him, something he never thought he'd feel towards anyone but his family. It hurt, but in a strangely good way.

 

" _Kenneth,_ " Jack started after a minute, " _he's always been a pain to deal with. Jamie's clever, he can deal with most problems and that includes assholes. But Kenneth's also clever. He knows how to get people to listen to him._ " He gave a huffed, hollow laugh. " _He'll be a great politician according to his parents, God help us all._ "

 

"He's been hounding Jamie a long time?" Gabriel asked when Jack paused. Some clinking was heard before a brief silence.

 

" _Since they became classmates. So, a little over a year._ " Jack's voice was slightly breathless and wet now. " _I can never get him though. There's always something that let's him get away with it. People deny they saw anything, he goads Jamie into taking the first step, always something!_ " Another pause, this time the silence was broken by an audible gulp.

 

"Ease up, Sunshine, you're not finding any answers drunk," Gabriel tried, voice low and steady.

 

" _The kids are asleep, I got nothing planned for tomorrow and who said I'm looking for answers tonight? I just want to be angry for a while..._ "

 

_That_ he could understand. In lieu of a solution, plain reaction could be cathartic enough.

 

" _And don't get me started on his fucking folks!_ " Jack continued, " _His dad, Jared, keeps telling me that Jamie 'needs a thicker skin'! I'm telling you, if Jamie had skin as thick as that man's skull he'd be impervious to any damage, emotional or physical! The things that asshole says...!_ "

 

Gabriel shifted, trying to get more comfortable as Jack ranted. The no-longer-blond's voice got more and more agitated as he went on, listing both annoyances and real problems about Jared Johnson and his son. It was clear that this was something he had been wanting to say for a long time.

 

" _Did Jesse tell you what happened today or..?_ "

 

Gabriel stilled. Jesse had told him what he had seen and heard. He wasn't sure he wanted to relay that to Jack at this time.

 

"He told me a little," he ventured. He heard a loud gulp followed by a loud clink. Jack had probably downed the last of his drink.

 

" _I was discharged—_ " he slurred slightly, " _—after I got hit by an explosion. Got badly hurt. My back is... well it's not pretty. And I get migraines and my vision has been getting worse since then. I told someone about it after a PTA meeting, don't even remember who. You know what that_ fucking _bastard thought about it?!_ "

 

"What?"

 

" _'A real soldier dies with his boots on'. I served for over twenty years and he thinks I'm a weakling and a coward_ "

 

Gabriel froze. He'd met people like that, sure, but very, _very_ few had been brave enough – if you could call it that – to say it to his face. It was generally army-nuts, the people who were so eager and fascinated by the army and weapons that they failed the psychology tests to even enlist. The people who actually thought war was _glorious_.

 

"And Kenneth..." he trailed off when he remembered what Jesse had told him.

 

" _Yeah,_ " Jack confirmed, " _Kenneth takes after his father, or at least speaks like him._ "

 

"What a fucking tool," Gabriel said, earning a chuckle from the other man.

 

" _Can't stand him._ " The chuckle morphed into a warm, soft laughter. " _God, I— I've wanted to say all that to someone for so long. I can't really talk to many people about this shit, my friends either have way bigger issues as most are still serving or they are too fucking kind, like Reinhardt. I swear, that man won't say a bad word about anyone if he can help it._ "

 

Silence resumed. Gabriel felt the sandstorm brewing again, this time pulling at him as if urging him to reach through the phone and comfort Jack in any way he could. If the white-haired man's face was anything like he imagined at this time, twisted into a bizarre mask of sorrow and relief, it would break his heart to see him now.

 

"You got me now," he said softly, "I'll never turn down the chance to throw shade at people." Again, Jack laughed quietly.

 

" _You have no idea how much that means to me._ "

 

A smile crept its way across Gabriel's lips. He wondered briefly if saying 'I think I do' would ruin the moment.

 

"You feeling better then?" he asked instead.

 

" _Yeah, a little. I mean, it's not over but I can deal with it when I'm sober._ "

 

"Good, good. Then..." He thought about what he could do more. Right now he wanted to focus on Jack, get him out of his head. "You mentioned kids, you got more than Jamie?"

 

" _Yeah. Well, kinda. Jamie is my only child but I got Hana, my goddaughter, too. Her parents are serving so I'm taking care of her. I served with her mother for years._ " The warmth that came over Jack's voice made Gabriel smile.

 

"And..." he hesitated for a moment, "no partner or anything like that? It's just you?"

 

" _Just me,_ " Jack stated firmly, " _Reinhardt helps me a lot with babysitting though, he picked up Hana from kindergarten today so I could take the bike with Jamie. What about you, you mentioned a niece, right?_ "

 

"Rosa, Jesse's little sister. Although she sure acts like she's the elder one of the two."

 

" _How old is she?_ "

 

"Chronologically? Six. In cynicism she's about thirty." By now Gabriel had decided he liked Jack's soft, breathy chuckle and he wanted to hear more of it before the night was over. He was not disappointed.

 

" _If cynicism gets me five minutes of no movement or yelling, I'll babysit for you anytime._ "

 

"Oh, I don't know about that. Those five minutes will end with you questioning your entire existence because of a kindergartener."

 

" _I questioned my existence when a four year old beat my Super Mario high score, I'm done._ " This time the chuckle morphed into a yawn. " _Sorry, drink's getting me sleepy._ "

 

"S'okay," Gabriel smiled, "get some water at least before you fall asleep, you'll thank me in the morning."

 

" _Yeah, I should probably..._ " Jack trailed off and some shuffling noises where heard. A few groans and bumps later his voice returned. " _I should probably go to bed, and I don't want to keep you up either._ "

 

"I don't mind."

 

" _... I'm glad._ " The next sound that came from Jack was one Gabriel did not expect. It was a moan, long and deep and while it was likely the kind of moan that came from someone stretching after a long day it sure sent sparks of a different nature up Gabriel's spine. He barely heard what Jack said when the man continued.

 

" _Thank you so, so very much. I mean it. This was... very nice._ "

 

"... Anytime," he managed to get out once he located his tongue once more. "Get some rest, Stunt Rider."

 

" _Yes, Commander Reyes, sir._ "

 

"And drink that water."

 

" _I will, thanks again and... good night Gabriel._ "

 

"Good night, Jack."

 


	9. If it is Not Broken...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Mako continues to be the best. This huge, brutal, "I'm a one man apocalypse" criminal is just too lovely.

The murmurs in the classroom filled the air like smoke as soon as Mrs.Wick told the children what pages they were going to work through. Jesse flipped open his math book and looked over the problems. The whole chapter was about division. Math had never been his strong suit.

 

His eyes darted to his side, quickly casting a glance towards Jamie's empty desk. He wasn't sure how he felt about the blond not showing up at school today.

 

Biting his lower lip, he looked back at his book and started reading the first question. Or at least he tried. He had barely read a whole sentence before his gaze wandered to the side again.

 

Kenneth was also absent. He wasn't sure how to feel about that either.

 

He shook his head, as if he could dislodge the thought that way. After the  _ incident _ the day before Amanda and Tony had been too busy escorting Kenneth to the nurse's office to take notice of him, but other classmates  _ had _ seen him. They had seen him scooping up the helmet and rushing off to look for Jamieson. Jesse was certain it was only a matter of time before Kenneth and his posse would find out about it and then there would be the question of  _ whose side are you on? _

 

The big kid was right, those guys were assholes. That ruled out hanging with them. Jesse would be the first to admit that he was a coward. He'd be the first to admit he was afraid of confrontations. But he'd fight tooth and nail before he let anyone say he was one of  _ them _ . With a heavy sigh he tried to focus on the math problem in front of him.

 

_ Sally has two dozen apples. If she and her five friends divide them equally does smiling over the fact that Jamie gave Kenneth a bloody nose make him a bad person? _

 

The sound of his pencil's tip breaking did the same to his train of thought. He whined low in his throat, the sound easily drowned out by the class. He  _ really _ felt guilty over it, surely nothing could justify laughing at someone's pain, but...

 

"Jesse, everything going well for you?" Mrs.Wick said behind him. He nodded at her, making a soft humming noise, hoping she'd go away. It was enough to satisfy her apparently.

 

_ Sally has two dozen apples. If she and her five friends gang up on one person, would they gang up on two? _

 

He'd only been in this school for about a week now, but he had never seen Jamie with anyone but the big kid. It was either him or no one. Back in Santa Fe Jesse had had a few friends. It would have broken his heart to leave them, if it weren't for the fact that  _ everything _ had been such a mess that he barely felt anything when they left. Then in LA he had had no one. And now he had no one.

 

_ Sally has two dozen apples. Are the apples the only reason her friends hang out with her? _

 

Jesse tasted rubber on his tongue. He had started to chew on the eraser on his pencil without noticing. Jamie hadn't been particularly nice to him after the first day. He hadn't been mean, but he had made it clear he did not like Jesse. Not that he blamed the blond, first impressions and all that, but what if Jamie was too stubborn?

 

_ Sally has two dozen apples. What is the deal with Sally and apples? _

 

He groaned. This was going to be a long class.

 

The day dragged on, with Jesse finding it difficult to focus on any of his classes. He spent his recess alone, deliberately keeping away from his classmates as much as he could. He kept fighting the urge to look over his shoulder, however.

 

When lunchtime finally came around he rummaged through his bag. He had asked Gabriel to make lunch for him today, since he didn't really enjoy the atmosphere in the cafeteria. It was a nice, fairly warm autumn day, and he felt like eating outside. He pulled out the ziplock bag with his sandwich, a bottle of water and drinkable yogurt and set off. The moment he set foot outside, he felt the same sensation he had felt every recess so far this day.

 

Someone was watching him. He had a pretty good idea who it was.

 

He set off to find a good spot. Most students were inside the cafeteria or still having classes at this time, so the school yard was pretty empty. It didn't take long to find a nice spot, bit to the side and somewhat secluded under a nice tree, where he sat down. He held up the bottle of yoghurt in the air.

 

"You can have this if you stop sneaking around!" he called out to his stalker. A few moments later the huge form of Jamie's friend stepped out from where he had been hiding behind a corner and walked over to Jesse's spot.

 

"Flavour?" he asked when he got close.

 

"Mango-kiwi."

 

"I'll take it." He sat down next to Jesse with a soft grunt, taking the bottle and shaking it to stir the contents.

 

"What's your name?" Jesse asked, as friendly as possible.

 

"Mako."

 

"I'm Jesse."

 

"I know."

 

Jesse bit into his sandwich. Man of small words, huh? Might as well get to the point.

 

"You were right," he said, mouth full, "Kenneth and the others are horrible."

 

"Yeah," Mako agreed, twisting the yoghurt open.

 

"They aren't going to stop anytime soon, are they?"

 

"No." Mako pulled down his mask revealing a severe underbite and a short, flat nose, as he took a swig. Jesse took some time chewing his first bite and watched the clouds for a moment. They were scattered, but gray.

 

"It Jamie okay?" he asked after a while.

 

"Think so," the other kid rumbled. "He's tough."

 

"Have you been watching me because he asked you?"

 

Mako looked down at Jesse. Dark eyes regarded him in silence for a while. Without his mask he looked frightening, but Jesse swore by the gentleness in his eyes.

 

"Yeah," he admitted and took another swig of his drink. "Asked me to keep an eye on you."

 

"To protect me or figure me out?" Jesse inquired, not certain of what he would prefer.

 

"Yeah," Mako repeated. They sat in silence for a while as Jesse ate his lunch. While he wasn't fond of small-talk he also wasn't fond of leading a conversation. The bigger kid left him no hooks, nothing to latch on to. It was frustrating.

 

"I want to be Jamie's friend," he stated eventually, eyes staring towards the sky. "I don't want him to be alone, and you can't be there all the time."

 

He looked over to the plump kid after a few moments of silence, meeting his dark, unreadable gaze. Mako didn't move a muscle. The wind picked up as they stared at each other, bringing a chill along with it.

 

"True, I can't." Mako rumbled, eyes unmoving. He downed the rest of his yoghurt.

 

"What do I need to do for him to forgive me?" Jesse asked, assuming Mako would know what he talked about.

 

"Hmph, you think he still blames you?"

 

"I think so."

 

"Sharp." With a grunt Mako crumpled the hard plastic bottle in his hand. "He knows people can turn, from good to bad, from bad to good. And he knows it's easier to be bad," he grumbled. "But he sees you. He sees you trying now. Keep trying."

 

Jesse shifted slightly. It was straightforward enough, but easier said than done. As much as he wanted to do the right thing it had taken all of his courage to pick up Jamie's helmet yesterday.

 

"Do you think I can do it?" he asked softly. He wasn't sure if he meant befriending Jamie or to keep standing up for what's right.

 

"Hm. Sure," Mako nodded as he pulled his mask back up. "People aren't born strong. They become."

 

The almost profound statement took Jesse by surprise. He'd heard it before, uncle Gabe had mentioned it when he talked about his time in the army, but he never really thought it could apply to kids. That it could apply to  _ him _ .

 

He looked Mako over. The teen was wider than anyone he had seen, but not the slightest bit flabby. He was about a head shorter than Gabriel, but his arms were almost as thick as his uncle's thighs. He had no doubt that this was a kid who could wrestle grown men with ease.

 

"Even you?"

 

Mako's eyes grew harder.

 

" _ Especially _ me," he boomed, making Jesse flinch and pull back a few inches. His reaction seemed to temper whatever beast his question had summoned as Mako's gaze grew softer once more. "First time I saw Jamie," he began, his voice a low rumble rather than its usual growl, "he was just like you. Scared, uncertain and pathetic."

 

" _ Pathe— _ " Jesse started, indignant.

 

"I saw myself in that kid. I swore I wouldn't let them do to him what they did to me." The teen looked away, studying the crumpled bottle as if it had suddenly become interesting. "Everyday I try to remind him. He's not worthless. He's not more trouble than he is worth. He may be weird, but that does not mean he's  _ wrong _ ." His eyes turned back to Jesse. "And he is  _ not broken _ , he does  _ not _ need to be  _ fixed _ ."

 

Before he could stop himself Jesse's eyes darted to his left arm. He held it up, attempting to flex his fingers. They were slow and the movement was jerky at best, but it was better than it had been a month ago. A huge fist bumped his shoulder gently.

 

"The same goes for you," Mako reassured him.

 

Jesse was left breathless for a moment. He took a bite out of the almost-finished sandwich, chewing it almost frantically as he tried not to show just how much those words affected him. Heat stung at the corner of his eyes. Within a minute the meal was gone. The huge hand came back to rest at his back this time, rubbing soothing circles into it.

 

The giant limb was warm and firm, steady in its movements as it coaxed the tension away from Jesse. He looked over to the older boy again, really taking him in this time. He  _ really _ was huge, and now that he had seen his whole face he knew he was no looker. Puberty had done the teen no favours either, heavy acne and uneven scruff was mostly hidden underneath the mask. He looked like a sumo wrestler who had fallen on hard times and sequestered himself in his room, ordering take-out and refusing to go out. He looked in no way a person one would like to meet in a dark alley.

 

Jesse squinted and mentally rewound time about five years and saw...

 

A fat, spotty kid with a face only a mother could love. A kid who hadn't yet grown the muscles to support his heavy frame, waddling around rather than lumbering. A quiet kid, one who might not speak out when someone's words cut too deep or struck too hard. A kid who hadn't yet  _ become _ .

 

He blinked, and the image was gone.

 

The schoolyard had started to fill with students by now. Both Mako and Jesse watched them, silently, for quite some time. The kids were mostly similar to each other, uniform and equal. Once someone was different they stuck out like a sore thumb. Mako nudged Jesse's shoulder and gave a grunt to get his attention.

 

"That girl over there, Alicia," he started, nodding towards a girl with dark hair, "she's diabetic. A kid in her class thinks it's funny to call her a junkie because of her insulin shots. She doesn't agree." He looked around. "That over there is Tim," he pointed towards a jungle gym where a kid sat perched, playing with a tablet, "he's clever, gets called a teacher's pet for it. He's nice and humble too, sometimes he wonders if he actually is smart or if people are just being nice to him." He scanned their surrounding again. "There's a trio of kids, two girls and a boy, who usually sit over there. Two of them are trying to hide that their classmates are talking shit about the third."

 

Jesse listened as the teen continued. He seemed to know everyone in school, know everything that happened to everyone. He listed names of people to look out for, people to keep away from, teachers who could be trusted to listen – a very short list – and locations where one could be alone for awhile, if necessary.

 

"Why are you telling me this?" Jesse asked eventually. Mako was quiet for some time.

 

"I'll be graduating this spring," he murmured. "I got plans after school, not sticking around in this dump." He looked down at Jesse, eyes glinting. "Someone's gotta take care of the little piglets."

 

Jesse's eyes widened at the implication as Mako stood up. The teen grunted and snorted a few times as he dusted himself up.

 

"You got until my graduation to prove yourself," he said, voice low and growling, "good luck, boy."

 

Then he left, leaving Jesse alone again.


	10. Scars

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thirsty!Jack is making me wonder if I should up the rating because he is so fun to write.

Jack's breath shuddered as he looked over the message he had just sent. Part of him felt stupid, sending a message like this to a guy he barely knew. A shiver came over him as he thought of where it could lead.

 

He took a calming breath, glancing to the corner of his computer screen to check the time. It was late in the afternoon, his alone-time was coming to a close.

 

Reinhardt was a saint. After hearing of what had transpired the day before, the gentle giant had offered to entertain Jamie for the day to give both the boy and his father a much-needed pause. Both Jack and Jamie had been emotionally drained after the  _ incident _ , as Mako had called it, they really could use some time to recover. As much as Jack wanted to be with his son, to show him that he was loved and safe, Reinhardt had been adamant that Jack needed some space to himself.

 

His eyes went back to the message, cheeks heating up from the slight pang of shame as he stared at his words. They were innocent enough on their own, but clear in their intent. It wouldn't take much to assume that the writer – namely himself – was a desperate, needy and dirty mess of a person. He imagined the recipient of the message reading it, smirking to themselves and maybe replying in a teasing tone;  _ I don't know, Jack. How badly do you want it? _

 

A full-body shudder coursed through him at the thought. The anticipation alone sent his blood pumping. Maybe, if he was quick about it, he had time before the kids came home.

 

He was about to move over to his bed to indulge in the basest form of stress-relief when a ping from the computer halted his movements. A reply. He settled back down, opening the message and reading it with bated breath. It wasn't nearly as dirty as he had hoped, but it was favourable.

 

_ God _ , he wished he would have had the courage to ask Gabriel instead.

 

The reply was polite, almost clinical. Maybe it was his fault, they hadn't communicated well last time. The man – some mild-mannered guy in his forties, his real name escaped him at the moment – was the one-night stand from a few months ago. He hadn't been  _ good _ , but he had been nice. He had been respectful of Jack's boundaries, he hadn't asked why he wanted to keep his shirt on and he had been very considerate afterwards. With a little more communication this time he might be  _ good enough _ at least.

 

They set a date and time. Same hotel as last time, tomorrow night. The last reply from the man contained some teasing that made Jack eager for it at least. He closed his eyes and exhaled, running one of his hands up the inside of his thigh. Maybe he still had time. Just enough to imagine those words whispered in his ear, breath hot against his skin as dark hands – darker than whatever-his-name's – would caress him and and explore him and maybe even—

 

"We're home!" He almost yelped as Hana's happy chirp pulled him right out from his thoughts. In the safety of his room he did his best to make himself presentable, listening with half an ear to the sounds from the hall. Reinhardt's deep rumble mingled with Hana's high-pitched lilt and the sound of shoes and coats being taken off. Jamie's voice was noticeably absent from the hubbub. Once he felt appropriately human he stepped out of his room.

 

"—and then she told me that some beetles glow in the dark! She's so smart!" Hana chattered excitedly as Reinhardt hung up her jacket. "I showed her my favourites in the book and she— Jack!" She interrupted herself and ran over to her godfather, who scooped her up and hugged her tightly.

 

"Hey," he greeted with a kiss to her hair, "sounds like you found a new friend, my little junebug."

 

Jack  _ wanted _ to listen to her reply – she rambled about how her new friend was smarter than  _ anyone _ and  _ so pretty _ and she climbed  _ all the way _ to the top of the jungle gym without help – but his attention was focused on Jamie. The usually vibrant boy was quiet and withdrawn, staring at something in his hands.

 

A tiny hand slapped Jack's cheek when Hana noticed he wasn't listening anymore, her little face scrunched up in a pout. He mumbled an apology and set her down.

 

"Whatcha got there, Jamie?" he asked, stepping forward to give his boy a hug. Jamie held the thing up for him to see, some video game, before he leaned into the embrace.

 

"Ah, yes!" Reinhardt laughed. "One of Fareeha's games. She forgot it when she came over last time. I think you'll like it, my boy!" It didn't escape Jack's notice that Hana seemed a lot more excited about the game than Jamie did. The kids ran off, most likely to play the game.

 

"Hope it's kid-friendly," he muttered, mostly to himself.

 

"It's fine!"

 

"I'll remember you said that if Hana learns a new curse-word from it."

 

"It's  _ probably _ fine," Reinhardt amended. Jack sighed.

 

"How was your day?" he asked. "How was Jamie?" he clarified, a bit softer. The bigger man sagged, just a bit.

 

"Quiet. I don't like it. I had a shift at the shelter so I brought him with me, and he didn't coo at the kittens even  _ once _ ." The slight wail to Reinhardt's voice betrayed just how bothered he was by that. The old Crusader volunteered at an animal shelter a few days every week. Coo-ing at the small animals was obligatory. "I think he's stuck in his own head today, and not in his usual way."

 

"I think he got some food for thought yesterday," Jack guessed, thinking about the look on his son's face as Gabriel's nephew had spoken his mind. The train of thought didn't stop there, however. Flashes of Gabriel's face flitted across his mind. Images of his eyes, his scarred cheeks, his mouth. The train picked up speed and within moments he was far away from Family-station, quickly approaching the lawless land of Fantasy.

 

"Jack?" Reinhardt snapped a couple of huge fingers in front of his face, pulling him back to the present.

 

"Sorry," he mumbled, hoping he wasn't blushing up a storm.

 

"You're stuck too, huh?"

 

"Kinda, I..." Jack huffed and pulled Reinhardt into the kitchen so they could talk undisturbed. In the living room Jamie and Hana had managed to get the game started. Hana was already backseat-gaming, despite the fact they didn't seem to have passed the tutorial yet.

 

"Can you watch the kids tomorrow evening? I'll be home late."

 

"Sure, what are you doing?"

 

"I got a date."

 

"With..?" Reinhardt asked, face splitting into a hopeful grin.

 

"Not him."

 

" _ Aw _ ."

 

His friends genuine disappointment did lighten Jack's mood. What had he done to deserve a friend so considerate and loving?

 

"Of course I'll babysit, you just take care of yourself for one night," Reinhardt said and patted Jack's shoulder with an oversized hand. "You deserve a little pause sometimes. Just... don't overdo it." This time Jack knew he was blushing.

 

"I haven't  _ overdone _ it in years," he wailed softly, "I know my limits very well, thank you!"

 

"I didn't mean it like that, Jackie! I just meant..." Reinhardt sighed, shaking his head slightly. "I don't want you looking for something you won't find in these trysts. I want you to be a little bit selfish for once."

 

Jack stared at his friend. He's already ditching his responsibilities as a father and guardian – even if just for one night – and he's being told to be  _ more _ selfish?

 

"What the hell are you talking about, Rein?"

 

"I mean..." the older man waved his hand, searching for words, "I mean that you're doing what you always do. You're doing your best to be a hero—"

 

"I'm not a—!"

 

"That's not for you to decide!" the old Crusader growled with a voice as strong and hard as his old hammer, momentarily looking just as tough as the armor he used to wear. He took a deep breath before he continued. "I mean that you always seem to think your happiness comes at the sacrifice of someone else's. The last few years it has always been..."

 

The giant hand now waved towards the living room.

 

"It is not a crime for parents to take some time off, or to continue with their own lives. You're a good father. Looking for a quick lay, or even a relationship, isn't going to change that."

 

"Jamie needs me more than I need a  _ boyfriend _ ," Jack snapped, "I'm not looking for a relationship right now, that's why I haven't—"

 

He stopped. The words caught in his throat, swirling and forming into a lump. Reinhardt raised an eyebrow at him.

 

"Why you haven't..?"

 

"Nothing."

 

"Hmm," the big man nodded slightly. "If you say so, I won't press further." Reinhardt walked out of the kitchen, joining with the kids who had gotten further into their game. Hana seemed to be ready to wrestle the controller out of Jamie's hands. Jack was left alone, trying to figure out what words the lump was made of.

 

He tried to busy himself. The dishwasher needed to be emptied, dinner needed to be prepared and the table might as well be made while he's at it. In his mind, the lump grated in his throat as his thoughts tugged and pulled at it, willing it to unravel like a ball of yarn.

 

Was he really not looking, or did he just not allow himself to?

 

Here he was, a single father, former military, scarred to hell and back. If he went outside without his scars covered people looked at him like he was an escaped criminal. How Reyes managed to do it was beyond him. Unbidden, thoughts of his first lay after Australia came to mind. The way his partner had recoiled at the sight of his scarred hand and outright yelped when he touched Jack's back, put off by the feeling of the uneven texture where his skin had burned...

 

Not all scars he carried where physical. Not all of them came from war.

 

He didn't think of himself as disfigured or even ugly – he knew very well that he had gotten off easy compared to other soldiers he had known – but he was well aware of how his unveiled appearance affected others. And what such reactions could bring with them.

 

Plates and utensils came down on the table with slightly more force than necessary. Thoughts of side-eyed glances and whispers at the edge of hearing fanned the embers of his ire and set his teeth on edge. He'd never admit it, but the reason Jared Johnson's remarks about his cowardice cut so deep was because  _ part of him thought it was true _ . He faced all sorts of dangers in the army, yet he found himself folding to the mere threat of  _ gossip _ .

 

Well, not really. The real reason he gave in was more complicated. But it started with gossip.

 

And it was the same reason he wasn't looking, wasn't it? He was too busy covering scars and putting out metaphorical fires. No time to look for a port in the storm when you're busy trying to plug the holes in the hull.

 

Reinhardt, for all his good intentions, was wrong. He didn't have time to be selfish.

 

A warm, firm pressure at his back brought him out of his own thoughts. It rubbed softly against him before being joined by a small hand gripping at his shirt. He slid his hand over to his hip to join with it.

 

"Not having fun with the game?" he asked, rubbing his thumb over the back of Jamie's hand. The boy's forehead rubbed back and forth at his back in response. "Want to help me make dinner instead?"

 

"Sure," Jamie mumbled and detached himself from his father.

 

Noises still came from the living room, informing Jack that Hana had most likely taken over the game entirely. Reinhardt could be heard half-shouting encouragement at the girl.

 

"Here, peel these," Jack instructed, handing a handful of carrots and a peeler to his son. He himself started to gather pasta, bacon and spices to make a simple carbonara. They worked together for a while, side by side.

 

"Pops?"

 

"Yeah?"

 

"... Can I stay home tomorrow again?"

 

The kitchen was dead quiet when both of them ceased working. The background noise of Hana's increasingly agitated voice and Reinhardt's attempts to calm the girl became a white noise to Jack as he thought about it. Part of him wanted to say 'Of course, fuck those assholes' – in a more refined manner of course – and another wanted to be the responsible father. He sighed, a bit too heavily.

 

"Have you done your homework?"

 

"Most of it..."

 

"Do the rest after dinner. You can stay home one more day then." He didn't have to look to know the boy was pouting. Homework frustrated the young boy to an almost fierce degree.

 

Jack did his best to keep himself occupied with slicing the bacon into smaller chunks. He never knew what to say after things like this happened. He wanted to say it would get better. He wanted to say bullies would get what's coming to them. He wanted to say that  _ everything would be alright _ .

 

He didn't want to lie to his son's face. He  _ didn't know _ if things would get better, he didn't know if karma would work out and everything would be fine one day.

 

A loud thump came from the living room, followed by some scrambling and hushing noises. Father and son gave each other a look before moving to check it out. When they came into the room Hana sat on the sofa, controller held up over her face as she giggled at Reinhardt. The large man lay sprawled on the floor, the coffee table had been flipped over and the gaming console lay in his hands. It whirred softly as the game disk ejected. The old Crusader shot the girl a glance, one that said 'you didn't see or hear anything'.

 

"I'll get you a different game," he said, putting the disk back in its case before giving Jack a sheepish grin.

 


	11. Fetch

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hold on to your butts, people. This was the toughest chapter to write by far. TW for bullying, flashbacks and derealization. And Kenneth being a jerk.
> 
> Also, next chapter might take longer than usual to upload. I had a pretty shitty week and on top of that I got sick. Reading through what I've written, I can almost spot the exact place where my fever set in so I have to rewrite an entire chapter.

Jesse wandered the schoolyard, deep in thought. Lunchtime had just arrived but he didn't have any appetite today.

 

Seeing Jamie enter the classroom after two days of absence was surprisingly reassuring. Jesse had kept an eye on the boy as he limped towards his desk. He looked more ragged than usual, less animated than the almost volatile attitude Jesse had gotten used to.

 

Kenneth was back too. The large bruise that had formed over the bridge of his nose looked painful. It still made Jesse's mouth twitch into a reluctant smirk.

 

It may have been Jesse's imagination but the atmosphere in the classroom had seemed... different. Heavier. Even Mrs.Wick appeared to be affected by it, the elder lady seemingly avoiding looking at both Jamieson's and Kenneth's faces. In the corner of his eye, Jesse had seen Amanda lean over to whisper something to Kenneth, whose eyes grew darker as he shot a glance over to Jesse.

 

Strangely enough, Jesse hadn't felt the usual anxiety welling up in him. Instead, there was something else there. Something warmer and lighter that made him feel as if his skin was too small for his body. He didn't know what to make of it.

 

There had been murmurs behind him. He had felt eyes on him, like pinpricks on his neck. He hadn't been idle the last two days. Since he had his talk with Mako he had found himself learning everything he could about the kids around him. Mako had seen something good in him. Beyond his family, that was not something anyone had done before. It made him feel stronger, like he had a purpose. It was unfamiliar, this newfound feeling of determination. He felt it pull him up by his spine, making him stand straighter, made him hold his gaze steady.

 

He wasn't about to let this chance pass him by.

 

Of course, that didn't mean the words and stares didn't do _anything_ to him. Whatever this courage was made of, he knew it was a shell. Beneath it he still felt like the cowardly boy who would rather throw a kid to the wolves that fight them alongside him.

 

He'd change that. Somehow.

 

***

 

Of course, the first day back at school since the incident would have to be the day Mako was home sick. Jamie cursed to himself as he moved towards one of the better spots to hide this time of day. It was a nice spot, right at the edge of the schoolyard. What was good about it was that while it was a bit to the side, it wasn't hidden so it was a bad place to try to be sneaky out of sight from the teachers.

 

Kenneth was _probably_ not mad enough to try his luck there.

 

He arrived at his spot. A lone tree stood there, near the fence that separated the schoolground from the slope leading down to a grassy area. The tree had a few branches low enough to make climbing easy, even with Jamie's handicap. He scampered up to one of the bigger branches, not much further than five feet off the ground.

 

He wanted to talk to Mako. The big lug always seemed to know what to say when Jamie was uncertain. He wanted to know what had been going on these last two days, if Mako had kept an eye on Jesse like he asked. He wanted to know if trusting Jesse was _worth it_ in the long run.

 

He also wanted to talk about those firecrackers. About a movie Mako had told him about. He wanted to have someone to complain about Pops, about Hana, about uncle Gabriel. He wanted someone to talk about his latest ideas, the jokes Hana had made last night, the stories uncle Rein had told him.

 

He wanted to tell Mako about the kittens at the shelter. They had been really cute.

 

Without Mako around, his world was definitely quieter.

 

He rummaged through his pockets for a while, looking for the pencil he thought he had somewhere. He didn't find it, but he did find a piece of gum. In his other pocket he found a rubber ring. He recognized it as the tire to one of his toy cars. How had that gotten there? He shrugged to himself.

 

Squeezing the small tire to test its firmness, he thought about how to entertain himself for the rest of the recess. He plopped the gum into his mouth, chewing it soft while he looked around to see what he had within reach. Nothing much, he found. He squeezed the tire again. It looked kinda funny, like a big mouth.

 

He dropped down and walked a few feet away where the grass was thinner. The ground was sandy with pieces of gravel in it and he quickly found two small pebbles he liked. Using the gum, he attached the pebbles to the top of the tire with a little space between them.

 

There, now the mouth had eyes.

 

Jamie giggled to himself as he pushed and pulled at the rubber to simulate various stupid expressions. After a while he started to imitate them and make noises.

 

He was so focused on his new little creation, he didn't notice the figures moving behind him.

 

***

 

Jesse noticed. He noticed when Kenneth and his gang stalked the schoolyard, clearly on the prowl. He noticed the way Kenneth's head was lowered, like an animal waiting to pounce as he lead his followers across the schoolground. He noticed Amanda's grin, Marcus' wide eyes and Tony's gaze darting to and fro.

 

He noticed the cracks in their little formation. The stress of built-up pressure becoming too much than what was safe.

 

He ran when he saw Jamie. His legs carried him as fast as they could as Kenneth came up behind the blond boy and gripped his neck and _pulled._ Jesse heard a growl when Jamie screamed in surprise, a low rumbling sound like an oncoming storm.

 

It wasn't until much later that he realized it had come from himself.

 

***

 

 _He couldn't breathe. He_ shouldn't _breathe, there was smoke everywhere. Hands he didn't know where they had come from pulled at him, their touch strangely cold. There was shouting all around him, the air filled with smoke, dust and the smell of burning flesh._

 

_He couldn't feel his arm. He couldn't feel his leg._

 

_He looked around, seeing nothing but dark shapes. Shades flitted around him, reaching for him, grabbing for him. He screamed the only thing he could think of._

 

_"Jack!"_

 

Laughter rang in his ear. Too high and calm for it to belong _there_ , in the burning remains of his home. He blinked, and the shades coalesced into more familiar shapes. In a moment, the dark space dissipated and gave way to the schoolground, the tree, Amanda, Tony, Marcus.

 

An arm was around his neck, pulling him up against someone's chest. Despite himself, he breathed a sigh of relief even as Kenneth's airy laughter tickled his cheek.

 

"Got a bone to pick with you," the boy hissed in his ear. He tensed when Amanda and Tony grabbed his arms and Marcus moved to his legs. He wanted to scream, to yell at them and insult them but _the smoke was still in his lungs and the hands were pulling him away, where was Jack? Did he make it?_

 

Jamie froze, eyes staring straight ahead. He was dimly aware of what was going on in the present, but he felt as if it wasn't happening to him. His jaw clenched and he stopped struggling, going rigid all over. He watched – detached, as if he didn't exist from the neck down – as Marcus pulled at his peg-leg. The shaggy boy's hand came up to the top of the prosthesis, looking for the release. He found it, pressed it and pulled again.

 

It hadn't been pressed long enough to let go completely. The sting as the leg came off pulled Jamie back into reality.

 

"You fucking drongo!" he screamed, finally finding the power to fight back.

 

"Speak english!" Kenneth hissed back before releasing his grip around Jamie's neck. The others followed suit, dropping the boy unceremoniously to the ground. Marcus still had his leg, resting it against his shoulder like a baseball bat. "Now, his arm," the boy continued, looking at Tony expectantly.

 

The other boy hesitated. In fact, he wasn't even looking at Kenneth at this point. He was looking behind him. Jamie looked around, found that Amanda and Marcus were looking behind the boy as well, and looked over as well.

 

Jesse stood there, shoulders squared and fists balled up. The small boy had his face set in grim, steely determination and his eyes...

 

Jamie shivered. Jesse's eyes looked almost deadly.

 

"Give it back to him, Marcus," Jesse growled. There was a slight waver to his voice that may have been fear. It may have been anger. Kenneth scoffed.

 

"I should've known freaks like you would stick together."

 

"Give. It. _Back._ "

 

"Or what?" Kenneth drew himself to his full height, giving him a couple of inches over Jesse. "Or you'll run off and cry in the restroom again?" With a few quick strides Kenneth walked over to Marcus and grabbed the peg-leg. The other kids drew back. There was a look on their faces that, if anyone would care to look, might have been the look of children who are realizing that their game is getting out of hand. "The pig's not enough for you Fawkes? Had to get an attack dog too?" Kenneth smirked as if he had told the best joke all day. "Well then. Fetch, Jesse!"

 

With one swift movement Kenneth spun around and threw the peg-leg, sending it flying over the fence. A loud thump followed by an extended rustling of leaves followed. Even Jesse would have described the wail that escaped from Jamie as _pitiful._

 

The blond scrambled to get up. He failed, being unbalanced and disoriented from the loss of his limb and the sheer anger that coursed through him. He didn't notice Jesse gripping his arm to help him get up and keep steady before being shoved off. He didn't notice how the others, excluding Kenneth, weren't laughing or even smiling. All he could care about right now was getting past that fence.

 

Jesse watched in mute horror as Jamie half-jumped, half-crawled towards the fence. He looked around, taking in the stifled, strange giggles from Amanda, the uncertain look in Tony's eyes and the horrific look on Kenneth's bruised face as the boy advanced on Jamie, lifted his foot and—

 

"Ken!"

 

Kenneth froze, eyes going straight to Tony. The wide-eyed boy had a bizarre look on his face, as if he had just realized the outburst had come from himself and he wasn't sure if it was petrifying or preposterous.

 

"C-come on, let's just go. We're done here, yeah?" he stuttered.

 

"He's right," Amanda chimed in, rather quickly. "The rat learned his lesson, right Jamieson?"

 

" _Shut up,_ " Jamie growled as he crawled closer to the fence. It was a tall wooden fence. Jesse wondered how the boy would get over it.

 

Kenneth looked like he couldn't decide between being confused or being furious. He kicked at the ground – showering dirt and sand over Jamie – and huffed.

 

"Fine."

 

The four kids walked away. As Kenneth passed by Jesse he shot him a glance, all heated anger and disappointment. It made Jesse's gut churn, made him want to scream in the taller boy's face, made him want to _punch something._

 

He watched them go.

 

A sound from Jamie's direction made him look back at the blond kid. He had reached the fence and was now trying to get a grip and climb over it, grunting as he went. Jesse ran over to him, wordlessly giving him a boost.

 

"Almost there," Jamie groaned after a while. Jesse pushed the extra bit and Jamie tumbled over the top. A thud and a shout came from the other side.

 

"Jamie!"

 

"Ow..."

 

"I'm coming over!"

 

Not bothering to wait for a reply, nor expecting one, Jesse scurried up the wooden wall as best as he could. After a few moments he dropped down on the other side. There were a quite a few trees, the late season leaving the branches bare and the ground covered in brown and yellow leaves. Jamie was already halfway down the slope, a brown trail behind him were the leaves had parted in his wake.

 

He couldn't see the leg right away. They might have to search for a bit.

 

The boys made their way down, looking under and poking at the piles of leaves to as they went by. They worked quietly, not saying a word to one another as they dug and prodded at every mound. Jesse looked up when he heard sniffling.

 

Jamie's face might have worn a stern but otherwise emotionless expression but his cheeks were wet with tears and his nose was running. His clothes had gotten dirtier and his knee was scraped from the crawling. Jesse went over to his and helped him up.

 

"Here, I'll look," he said as he acted like a living crutch to lead the blond over to a rock, allowing the boy to sit down. He went back to searching the thick blanket of leaves as Jamie continued to sniffle behind him.

 

"Fucking wankers," he mumbled between sniffs.

 

"Yeah..." Jesse agreed, even if he wasn't sure what a 'wanker' was. He had heard it before, but no one had wanted to tell him what it meant.

 

"Bunch of drongos," Jamie hissed, a little more force behind his voice this time.

 

"Definitely," Jesse said. _I think..._ he added mentally.

 

"Kenneth's a bloody cunt!"

 

Jesse knew what _that_ meant, at least. He swallowed heavily before he replied.

 

"He is. I never wanted to punch someone so badly before."

 

For a few moments there was only the rustling sound of Jesse's digging. After a while there was a new sound coming from behind him. Jamie was giggling.

 

" _You_? Punch someone?" the boy half-laughed, half-sobbed. "I didn't think you had it in ya, little scaredy-cat like you!"

 

"Hey, I can be brave when – aha!" Jesse's spotted something that looked like a very straight stick poking up from beneath the leaves and pulled out Jamie's leg. "Found it!" he announced triumphantly and returned to the blond.

 

"Yeah, I guess you can." Jamie said softly, wiping at his nose before pressing his palms against the sleeve on his leg to flatten it. "Mako said you've got good eyes."

 

Jesse stared at the boy for a while before kneeling down to help him get his leg back on. _Good eyes? What did he mean by that?_ he thought. The boys managed to get the leg back on, bringing a soft smile to both their faces. Jamie, however, quickly sullened when his leg remained unmoving.

 

"I can't move my knee," he stated before he began to sniffle again. "Can't move it at all."

 

The two sat there, both staring at the unresponsive leg as Jamie tried to move it. Jesse could see the tiny movements as the other boy flexed his muscles in an attempt to get it right. Nothing.

 

"L-let's get to the nurse's office. You got a few scrapes anyway." Jesse tried to sound at least slightly upbeat, even as his eyes began to sting. "Here, lean on me."

 

"How will we get back over the fence?" Jamie asked as he was helped up, putting his arm around Jesse's neck for support.

 

"We'll go the long way around, I guess."

 

It took them twenty minutes to get to the nurse's office. It wasn't until they arrived and the nurse sighed and said "Jamieson, what did you do _now_?" that Jesse finally cried.


	12. Consequenses

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yay! I'm on time despite everything!
> 
> That being said, I might still update this a little slower from now on, haven't decided yet. I signed up for reaper76BigBang so I'll be juggling this and that to the best of my abilities. It has been a bit difficult writing the next few chapters, as they mostly deal with the aftermatch of the previous one, but I hope you'll like how the boys are dealing with it :)

The ache in his body was making itself known again as he did his exercises. It was dulled and heavy on his skin, pressing down and making him remember what he had done the night before. It was nice. It was distracting. It was a little bit of a turn on. Idly, Jack ran his tongue over his teeth as a slight sting shot up his spine with every squat he was making. When his legs bent he could feel the bruises left by the ropes.

 

So, going to the gym the day after might not have been the best idea he ever had.

 

It had been... _nice_ last night at least. Not great, but good enough. For just a while he had been able to relax, to let go, to be _selfish_ like Rein had suggested and it _did_ help. Now he just wanted to keep the momentum he got from his rendezvous for a while.

 

_Going to the gym should_ definitely _have waited at least another day though_ , he realized as he spotted Gabriel.

 

He couldn't keep himself from watching the other man. With the remainder of his escapades heavy around his legs and arms, everything Gabriel did seemed less innocent. When he walked he seemed to swagger a little bit more, when he demonstrated a set for a client his movements seemed stronger and when he _smiled_ Jack felt like a fire coiled in his gut.

 

He felt almost defeated when Gabriel saw him and gave him a wave. A simple wave. A curse slipped from his lips, lost under the thumping music. Almost twenty years had passed and he _still_ felt like the world disappeared from under him when Gabriel looked at him.

 

Jack sat on the floor, drinking his water and keeping his towel over his lap – just in case – as he tried to calm down.

 

Gabriel had been his personal angel these past few days. The last three days had been harsh to say the least and Jack found himself waiting for the next time his phone would buzz, smiling like a fool over any signs of concern or attempts to cheer him up from the older man. Without the pressure of war or rank over them conversation flowed easily between them. Civilian Gabriel was not that much different from the Commander he once knew, but he joked more freely and had the most beautiful laughter and—

 

Almost two decades after meeting the man, Jack found himself in the same position he had been in back then. Hopelessly head-over-heels infatuated with Gabriel Reyes.

 

"You okay?" a warm voice said behind him, accompanied by an equally warm hand on his shoulder. He looked up and came face-to-face with Gabriel. "You seem distracted," the man said, one eyebrow raised in concern. Jack stuttered briefly before finding his words.

 

"Just tired, had a long day yesterday," he shrugged.

 

"You sure? Your movements look a bit stiff."

 

_Shit._

 

"Yeah, maybe I should just wrap up for today," Jack muttered and stood up to excuse himself. Gabriel just nodded and waved at him again.

 

"Talk to you later then," he said and gave a little smirk that, once again, made Jack's world spin.

 

Quickly making his way to the changing room, cursing under his breath all the way, Jack tried to regain his focus. He was _not_ a teenager with a crush, he did _not_ have time to court anyone, he could _not_ afford to risk scaring Gabriel away now that he had become such a needed rock for him to hold on to. The rapidly developing friendship was quite possibly the best thing that had happened to him in months, he needed a fellow embittered close friend to counterweight the overly sweet Reinhardt.

 

If he could only think with his bigger head, rather than the smaller one it would be easy.

 

He changed quickly, leaving his undershirt on despite having found a secluded corner and the fact that almost no one was around. To distract himself he went over the rest of his day in his head. He needed to go buy groceries before picking up Jamie and Hana, the weather was getting colder so he might have to move his motorcycle into the garage for the season, then he had to—

 

He slipped his jacket on as he gave his phone a glance to see if anyone had tried to reach him while he was training. There was a familiar number on the 'missed calls' list. He sighed and tapped it to make the call as he slung his bag over his shoulder and moved towards the exit. After a few beeps someone picked up with a polite greeting.

 

"Morrison here, what do you need?" he replied gruffly. _If that damn kid provoked Jamie again I'll..._

 

He stopped dead in his tracks once he heard the urgency in the speaker's voice. In the background he could hear sobbing.

 

"I'll be right over," he said hurriedly before hanging up and rushing out of the building.

 

***

 

Jamie held up the upper part of his peg-leg and looked inside it. Outwardly it looked fine. Of course, that wasn't much to go on but it was the most he could do at the moment.

 

It was also distracting him from... everything. He was still a little shaken. He was still pretty angry. He was still not _quite_ sure how he had ended up being the one to comfort Jesse as the school nurse looked over Jamie's injuries.

 

"How's it lookin'?" Jesse sniffed beside him, wiping his nose with his sleeve.

 

"Can't tell, have to open it up later."

 

"You can _do_ that?" The slight gasp in Jesse's voice did make Jamie feel a little better.

 

"Pops' mate showed me how," he smiled, though the expression was slightly strained. He put the leg down on the chair beside him. The boys were waiting by the nurse's office, side by side, neither feeling anywhere near good enough to go back to class.

 

Normally Jamie would have to fight tooth and nail to get them to call his dad unless they meant to tattle on him. This time, however, he was rendered one-legged _and_ he had an ally. Jesse had almost screamed the whole story to the nurse, he had wailed about how the others ganged up on Jamie and he had _refused to leave him alone_ when the nurse told him to go back to class.

 

So there they sat, sniffling together.

 

"Hey," Jamie said after a while, "thanks. You didn't have to help me... so, thanks." A noise that sounded like a laugh and a sob bumped into each other escaped Jesse's lips.

 

"It was the right thing to do," the brunette mumbled, but he couldn't stop the big grin spreading over his face.

 

"Heh. You sound like pops." They fell into silence for a bit. "My pops is a hero, y'know," Jamie continued eventually. "He says I shouldn't say that because he just did the right thing. But uncle Reinhardt says a hero does the right thing even if they don't have to. So he is one."

 

"My uncle's a hero too," Jesse sniffed, smiling a bit easier than before. "He fought in the crisis, even though he didn't have to."

 

"I know..."

 

"What?"

 

"Nothing."

 

***

 

Jack kept a fast pace on his way to the nurse's office, half-walking, half-jogging. His mind reeled with a number of scenarios, all horrible, as he thought of the brief phone-call. The school nurse – a man in his mid-thirties name Kent or Klarke or something – was fairly jaded to Jamie's antics by now. He had patched up scrapes, soothed bruises and cooled burns caused by the boy's insatiable curiosity a number of times.

 

This time he had said something about a 'broken leg', voice wavering and uncertain, and after that Jack couldn't hear anything apart from the sobbing in the background.

 

He rounded a corner, the office coming into view and his heart seemed to calm down enough to stop in his chest. Jamie was sitting on a chair just outside the office, whole and safe. He could spot a few band-aids, and his prosthesis was on a chair beside him, but he was nowhere near as harmed as the images Jack's mind had conjured. It took him a moment to notice Jesse sitting beside the boy.

 

"Jamie," he called out, softly. His son looked up at him, eyes gleaming and wet. It would have broken his heart if it wasn't for the small, uncertain smile on the boy's lips.

 

"Hey pops," Jamie murmured, voice thick and slightly worn. His face fell when he continued. "... I think my leg's broken."

 

He pointed towards his prosthesis, making Jack feel like the gaping hole in his chest had just been filled with cotton. The _peg_ -leg was broken.

 

"Are you okay?" he asked as he walked up and knelt in front of his boy, giving him a quick once-over. The child nodded firmly at first, before pulling a face and then shaking his head.

 

"It was Kenneth. He threw it down a slope and it hasn't worked since," Jesse told him. Jamie visibly tensed up, hands closing into fists and Jack felt...

 

He felt like shooting something.

 

"Tell me what happened," he ordered, unable to keep himself from growling.

 

***

 

There was an uncomfortable feeling in Gabriel's gut ever since Jack had left the gym. These last few days they had gotten to rekindle their acquaintanceship and evolve it into genuine friendship, which had reminded Gabriel about how 'Stunt Rider' had zero self-preservational instincts. He had noticed the slight change in his gait the moment he saw the younger man today and the way he moved while he did his reps spoke volumes.

 

When Jack's sleeves had slid up his arm just ever so slightly, Gabriel had been sure he spotted discoloured skin.

 

Were they close enough friends for him to express concern right now? Would that be inappropriate? Jack had definitely been down these last few days. He was a grown man and a responsible adult, surely Gabriel could trust the man to care for himself? Maybe he could approach the matter as a PT. _Hey I noticed you seem to be hurt, don't push yourself too hard. If you tell me where and how you are hurt I could recommend some alternate exercises..._

 

A buzz from his pocket snapped him out of his thoughts. He pulled out his phone, slightly relieved by the distraction. The relief wavered as he saw Jack's name with the notification. He gave the note a tap.

 

_'Problems at school. Jamie got hurt. Jesse won't leave his side. I'm talking them BOTH back home with me, text you the address later'_

 

A few moments later a new message popped up.

 

_'Your kid is a good kid'_

 

Confused – and slightly proud without knowing why – Gabriel just stared at the screen. He quickly typed out a quick reply.

 

'Everything okay? Hurt how?'

 

The thumping music and creaking of machines around him was inaudible to his ears when the buzz came again.

 

_'He can't walk. Jesse helped him.'_

 

Another buzz.

 

_'I'm trying to hide how angry I am from them...'_

 

Buzz.

 

_'it was Kenneth again'_

 

_'I hate him so much'_

 

_'fuckfuckfuckfuck'_

 

Gabriel found himself feeling numb as the texts rolled in. He gripped his phone with both hands as he tapped out his reply.

 

'I'll see if I can get away earlier. I'll come as soon as I can, promise'

 

_'might need some time to cool down'_

 

_'don't rush'_

 

_'getting into car now, ttyl'_

 

"Fuck," he cursed, hurrying off to find his boss.

 

***

 

Jesse hopped out of Jack's car when it stopped by the Morrison residence. He was about to run over to the other side and help Jamie get out and walk but Jack beat him to it, picking the blond boy up in his arms and carrying him to the house.

 

"M' leg's still in the car, pops."

 

"I'll get it," Jesse said, grabbing the leg and following after the other two. Jack was very quiet.

 

He had been quiet since they got into the car, in fact. He had mentioned that he messaged Gabriel to let him know that Jesse came with them, but beyond that the man had barely said a word since the boys told their story.

 

They got into the hall where Jack set down his son on a small bench and knelt down to help the boy get his shoe off. Then he kicked his own shoes off and walked into the house without a word.

 

"Is he okay?" Jesse whispered, only receiving a shrug from Jamie. Jack returned moments later with a pair of crutches.

 

"Here," the man murmured demurely and handed them to his son. "Come on in, Jesse. Make yourself at home," he added, voice low and mirthless. Then he walked off somewhere, leaving the boys alone.

 

"Y' need any help?" Jesse asked nervously.

 

"Nah, M' good," Jamie sighed and got up, steadying himself on his canes. "I gonna go sit down though, hate these things. Want to watch a movie or something?"

 

"Sure."

 

The boys went off to the living room, Jamie sitting himself down on the couch and placing the crutches within arms reach while Jesse took a brief look around. They had a nice house, the Morrisons. It was bright and spacious with two floors. The living room was pretty much the center of the house, from where Jesse stood he had a pretty good line of sight to every other room. As he looked around Jack emerged from one of them, his bedroom most likely, carrying a laptop with him.

 

"I'll be in the kitchen, either of you want anything to eat?" he asked as he passed by.

 

"N-no, thank you—"

 

"I don't think Jesse ate lunch!" Jamie interrupted.

 

"I don't want to be a bother—"

 

"Pops, do we have any pop-tarts left?"

 

"Think so. Do you like pop-tarts, Jesse?"

 

Jesse nodded, a bit thrown, before he went to sit down next to Jamie who had brought up the TV's interface to browse the movies they had. They browsed through the cartoon section together, eventually picking out a movie about superheroes. Neither really payed attention though. After a while Jack came in with a tray containing two pop-tarts, two apples and two glasses of juice. Then he went back into the kitchen. After a while a tapping sound could be heard, as if someone was furiously writing an e-mail.

 

"Hey," Jesse spoke up.

 

"What?"

 

"What do you think will happen now?"

 

Jamie stared at nothing for a while. "Dunno. Nothing really happened last time," he murmured and bit into his snack, "but they never went this far before..."

 

Jesse nibbled at his own treat, thinking back to what had happened.

 

And what _could have_ happened...

 

"Did you notice?" he mumbled. "The others... didn't want to go through with it. Kenneth wanted to continue." He looked over to the blond. "They stopped him."

 

Jamie raised an eyebrow at him, seemingly urging him to continue. Jesse felt a small smirk spreading across his face.

 

"I think Kenneth is slipping."


	13. Guess who's coming for Dinner

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Look at that! Hana and Sombra actually get some screentime for once! I'm kinda iffy on this chapter, most of it was written when I was sick and then rewritten so I can't help but to feel like it's a bit... disjointed.
> 
> I've started writing my BigBang fic in earnest now and that is taking up quite a bit of time so updates will slow down for a while. Hope I'll be able to make it up to you with a great, long fic in a few months!

The Learning Groove was a quaint little place. The kindergarten had a homey look to it, with a nice playground with several areas for the kids to climb, crawl and explore. The whole place had the look of an establishment where everyone was cheerful and friendly and they all got along and held hands.

 

Gabriel's eye twitched. No wonder Rosa disliked the place.

 

He turned off the ignition and got out of his car, looking over the last text from Jack.

 

_'The boys are watching a movie. I'm not leaving Jamie anytime soon. On your way here could you pick up Hana? Tell her "winkyface" when she asks for the codeword'_

 

During one of their late night talks, the two men had been surprised, and then not so surprised considering there was only one in the near vicinity, that their girls went to the same kindergarten. Right now, that worked out very well. He walked off towards the entrance, eyes scanning for his niece among the children running about as he went.

 

"Ah! Gabriel, good to see you!" a voice practically chirped, making the man cringe inwardly. A middle-aged woman approached him with a bright, almost blinding smile.

 

"Hello, Annie," he greeted, resisting the urge to sigh. He wasn't entirely comfortable with the level of friendliness and familiarity the staff encouraged at the Learning Groove.

 

"Time for Rosa to come home? I'll help you look for her if you want, we've _almost_ found all of her usual hidey-holes."

 

 _She'll find more_ , he thought, more certain of that than anything he's ever thought.

 

"Actually, I'm here to pick up Rosa plus one. Hana, Jack Morrison's kid."

 

"Oh that's _great_ to hear!" Annie exclaimed, clapping her hands. "The girls have really found each other, don't you think?"

 

Gabriel stared at her. He didn't think, since he didn't _know_. Rosa had made it clear she had no friends her own age and no interest in making any.

 

Then again, she _had_ been researching a lot about beetles the last few days and when he asked why she had said there was a girl at the Groove who liked them and she wanted to know more. That was possibly the closest thing Rosa had come to caring about another kid who wasn't Jesse, ever.

 

"I _do_ need to call Jack and make sure everything's fine. You understand, right?" Annie said, face slightly apologetic. He nodded and she went into the building, leaving Gabriel alone. Giving his surroundings a more careful look, he still found no trace of his precious little shadow.

 

He turned, nearly tripping over a tiny kid who stood behind him, looking up at him with big, sweet, brown eyes.

 

" _Annyeong!_ " the little thing said.

 

"Er... Hi?"

 

The kid said nothing. She – Gabriel guessed the kid was a girl at least – had long, brown hair pulled into two pigtails and a look of pure, delighted expectation on her face. Gabriel distrusted that look immediately.

 

"Have you seen Rosa?" he asked after a few moments, to break the silence if nothing else.

 

The little girl nodded.

 

"Oh. Where is she?"

 

The girl kept staring at him. He wasn't sure what it was, but something about this child made him feel uneasy. Those big eyes seemed to pierce his soul, to stare into the very essence of his being, scrutinising and...

 

Wait.

 

She was staring _above_ him.

 

Before he had a chance to look up he felt a heavy weight slam into him from above. Surprisingly strong limbs held onto him like a vice, his surprised yell and eager giggling mingling together with the sounds of playing children.

 

" _¿Me extrañaste?_ " Rosa cheered into his ear.

 

"How did you get up on the roof?!" Gabriel screamed as he clawed at his back to reach his niece. How the little shadow always managed to evade his grasps was beyond him. " _Why_ did you get up on—"

 

They must have been quite a sight, Gabriel reflected later on, with himself swinging wildly and reaching for the little menace on his back, said menace howling with laughter and the little girl beside them giggling at what must have looked like a life-sized puppet show after a while.

 

"Ah, I see you found the girls!" Annie came up beside him again as he finally managed to get Rosa off his back and set her down. "Jack said everything's okay. Hana, this is Gabriel. He'll be taking you home to Jack today."

 

" _You're_ picking me up?" the little kid spoke up.

 

" _We're_ picking up Hana?" Rosa squealed.

 

"Yeah, we're going to Jack's house. Jesse's already there. Let's go," Gabriel urged. Hana remained unmoving.

 

"Codeword?" she asked.

 

"Oh, uh... Winkyface."

 

Hana's face lit up immediately. It was a clever little safety-trick, he'd have to come up with something like that for his own kids.

 

"Okay, let's go!" Hana chirped, grabbing Rosa's hand and speeding off to get their stuff. He watched them go for a moment before turning to Annie.

 

"Just so you know, Rosa has learned how to get up on the roof," he informed her. Then he followed the girls, leaving the woman with a slightly horrified expression.

 

***

 

Hana was out of the car almost immediately as they pulled up to Jack's house. Jack himself was standing at the door, putting out a cigarette as Hana ran up to him with her arms outstretched. Gabriel watched them through the corner of his eye as he and Rosa got out of the vehicle. Jack crouched down, putting his hands on the little girl's shoulders and said something Gabriel couldn't hear. Hana nodded in response, receiving a kiss on the forehead before being ushered inside.

 

"You must be Rosa," Jack said as Gabriel and Rosa approached.

 

"Wow. Great powers of deduction," the girl replied, making Jack's eyebrows shoot up. He looked over to Gabriel, as if asking how to react.

 

"Just roll with it," Gabriel shrugged. "Rosa, behave. We're guests here."

 

Once they got inside Hana had already perched herself on the couch next to Jamie, leaning against him in a display of sisterly love and support. The two boys sat shoulder-to-shoulder, playing with a tablet that seemed to be functioning as a remote control for a toy that zipped across the floor. Jesse gave his uncle a quick wave before turning his attention back to the device. Rosa went over to the other kids, Gabriel suspected she only did so because she could sense that the adults needed to talk.

 

"Could you give me a hand in the kitchen?" Jack asked with a look on his face that said 'not really, but I won't talk in front of the kids'.

 

The two men went into the kitchen. Once there, safely out of earshot from the children, Jack turned to Gabriel with a face like thunder.

 

"I am _this_ close to punching someone!" he hissed, holding up his hand with his fingers barely touching. "I've been e-mailing the principal, if I have to hear another person say 'let's hear all sides of the story' one more time..." He trailed of, huffing and running both his hands through his hair. Gabriel took a step forward with a heavy sigh.

 

"I hear you. I'm _with_ you. I saw what those kids tried earlier, I won't let them forget that happened," he said, putting his hands on Jack's shoulders. Jack took a few deep breaths, chest heaving and eyes shut tight. "You're not alone in this. Jamie isn't alone," he tried to reassure the younger man.

 

"I just... I just don't understand _why_."

 

"Thank God you don't, you'd be an asshole then," Gabriel tried to joke. A small huff that might have been a laugh escaped Jack's lips.

 

"I kept wondering," Jack started after a few moments, letting his hands fall. "I kept wondering 'how is this going to get worse?'. I've heard so many horror stories about bullying and I kept worrying that one day Jamie would end up like that. How the hell do I stop this shit?"

 

Gabriel's face fell. He sighed heavily, looking for the right words.

 

"If I knew that..." he began uncertainly, "...if either of us knew that I think people smarter than us would have solved bullying forever."

 

"I suppose," Jack sighed. Subtly, he reached up to wrap his hands around Gabriel's wrists, letting them rest there for a moment before giving them a light squeeze. "Does Rosa like pop-tarts? I got three left, might as well eat them all."

 

"What flavour?"

 

"Cherry."

 

"She likes that. And me too, just FYI." Gabriel smiled, earning a small grin from the other man.

 

"Alright," Jack muttered, letting his hands linger around Gabriel's wrists just a few seconds before he let go.

 

Jack prepared the snacks, giving two to the girls and splitting the last one with Gabriel. The kids had started another movie, ending with Jamie, Jesse and Hana watching it while Rosa took over the tablet. It didn't take long before the sound drifting in from the living room caused Jack to visibly relax.

 

"I was thinking," Jack mumbled, "will you guys stay for dinner?"

 

Gabriel's brows shot up. He was certain he saw a faint blush on Jack's face.

 

"I just thought, you've really helped me today, you and Jesse. And Hana would be thrilled to spend some more time with Rosa, I'm sure. I just... want to thank you somehow." Jack continued, eyes not meeting Gabriel's.

 

"Y-yeah, that would be great," Gabriel stuttered out, "I think the kids would like that too."

 

Jack nodded, a smile creeping across his face. Maybe it was the light reflecting on his glasses but Gabriel could swear his eyes gleamed for a moment.

 

"Nothing fancy though, I didn't exactly plan for this..." Jack said, waving a vague gesture towards the fridge. Gabriel noted with a smile that a very familiar picture had been put up on it.

 

"We could always order something."

 

"Good point, any ideas?"

 

"Got a go-to pizza order for me and the kids."

 

Jack pulled out his phone and called to make their orders while Gabriel informed the youngsters that they were staying for dinner. Hana was thrilled, as was Rosa but that could only be seen if you knew where to look. A small smile could be found on Jamie's lips as well. Once Gabriel got back into the kitchen Jack looked up at him from where he sat.

 

"Hey... Thank you, Gabriel. Really." Jack said with the softest look in his eyes. "I've been so stressed out lately and... I really can't tell you how much it means to me that..." He looked away, waving his hand in the air as he searched for words. "I guess what I'm trying to say is..." He looked back at Gabriel who was staring wide-eyed at Jack's hand.

 

The sleeve of his shirt had slid down, revealing for all to see a bruise around his wrist. The pale skin made it impossible to miss.

 

"Jesus!" Jack swore, pulling his sleeve back up, mind going a mile a minute to try to explain what was _clearly_ not your average mark. A furious blush spread across his face.

 

"So..." Gabriel said, voice darker than usual, "Is that how you get your kicks these days, Stunt Rider?" Jack looked up, facing a shit-eating grin. Blushing further, all the way to his ears, he started to sputter.

 

"S-sorry, I'll—"

 

"' _Sorry'_ ? What for?" Gabriel interrupted, a mix between amusement and surprise coming over his face. "Looks to me like you got lucky. _Brag_ instead!"

 

For a few moments, all that could be heard was the sound from the living room as Jack stared at the other man. Then, slowly, he started to laugh. Once Gabriel joined in it didn't take long before they were both doubling over.

 

"Thank God, I thought you were really hurt earlier at the gym!" Gabriel howled before another fit of laughter came over him.

 

"No no, I just... haah, I just bruise easily," Jack breathed, making Gabriel's mind go into overdrive for a few seconds. "I... it helps me let of steam. And, well—"

 

"Yeah, I get it. Seriously, stop looking like you got..." Gabriel snorted to himself before he continued, "... like you got caught _red-handed_!"

 

"Oh God, that was bad!" Jack laughed, a big grin with a touch of relief spreading across his face.

 

"Of course, I shouldn't be surprised the Boy Scout is good with knots!" The older man exclaimed, eager to make the other laugh again. He was successful. "Private Morrison, reporting for booty!"

 

Jack was howling now, face in his hands as he practically wailed with laughter. His face was red, eyes sparkling and all Gabriel could think was that _here was an opportunity_. He'd hate himself forever if he didn't seize it.

 

"So..." Gabriel started as Jack started to breathe easier. "Just out of curiosity, and you don't have to answer, are you seeing anyone special for... these things?" he asked, gesturing to Jack's wrists.

 

"What do you mean?" Jack wondered, an eyebrow rising up.

 

"You know, a fuck-buddy, a play-partner. Whatever it is called."

 

"Ah. Geez, I was afraid you were going to say something much worse," Jack laughed nervously. "Not really, I hook up with someone on a website when the need strikes me." The blush that accompanied the calm words was adorable, as far as Gabriel was concerned.

 

"Uh-huh," he mumbled, "So, is there a criteria these guys need to fulfill?"

 

Jack raised his second eyebrow as he looked at the other man.

 

"Again, what do you mean?"

 

"Just wondering if I should lie on my resumé."

 

Jack stared at him, brows climbing further upwards. For a while, a gut-wrenching but short while, the kitchen was silent. From the living-room they could hear the kids talking over the movie, the sounds little more than a soft background noise. Jack broke the relative silence.

 

"Are you propositioning me?"

 

Gabriel wet his lips and coughed. _Alright. You've taken the plunge, now you just need to turn it into a dive._

 

"I'm sure it's not just my imagination..." he said, allowing his voice to go deeper before looking right into Jack's eyes. "I can't shake the feeling that there's some sort of heat between us." A small smirk tugged at the corner of his lips when Jack's face grew even redder. "Am I wrong?"

 

"Well," Jack murmured, avoiding the other man's gaze for a moment. He got up, closing the distance between the two, and looked up. Gabriel swore his eyes were a shade darker than usual. "No. I feel it too. I just..."

 

"So you are interested?" Gabriel tilted his head, focusing everything on Jack. His heart was hammering in his chest, only skipping a beat when Jack chuckled.

 

"Oh, I am." Jack dropped his gaze before looking back up, practically displaying how he checked him out. "I'm not looking for a relationship right now though..."

 

"Doesn't have to be a relationship."

 

Jack grew quiet, eyes wandering to the side towards the children.

 

"Can I think about it?" he asked after a while.

 

"Yeah, sure. Take your time," Gabriel smiled. "Ten, even twenty minutes if you need to." He was rewarded with a soft punch to the arm.

 

The moment was broken by the sound of the doorbell, a faint voice calling out 'Pizza delivery!' could be heard from outside. Gabriel watched Jack go into the hall, a warm sandstorm churning in his chest.

 

Judging by the soft smile playing on Jack's lips, his decision had already been made.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I didn't put Friends to Friends with Benefits to Lovers in the tags because I kinda felt it would be a bit of a spoiler... hope no one is too upset with this development :)


	14. Suspension

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In this chapter, Jamie can't sit still. I love it. Also, the grown-ups are getting frisky.

"So let me see if I understand you..." Jamie started, looking over to his pillow where a tablet had been propped up. "You think Tony is the weak link in Kenneth's group?" Jesse's face looked back at him from the screen.

 

"I don't know if I'd put it like that, I just think that he doesn't really want to do all that stuff," the boy shrugged, his image shaking with the movement. Jamie looked up on the ceiling of his room. The two of them were both skipping school today – though in Jamie's case it was less skipping and more Jack saying "You're staying home until I've sorted this out with those bast— those fools". They had managed to get their hands on their respective family's tablets and had spent the morning talking to each other.

 

"I dunno," Jamie mumbled, "Tony's always been a phoney, but I don't think he's _that_ much of a tool."

 

"Maybe not, you've known him longer than I," Jesse admitted.

 

"Pffth, barely. I keep away from him and you were buddy-buddy with them during your first week!"

 

Jesse made a face.

 

"... sorta, at least," Jamie amended. "Either way, what do we _do_ about that?"

 

"Don't know, haven't thought that far."

 

Jamie looked back at the tablet. The boy on the screen looked a bit flustered at the realisation that all he had was an observation.

 

"Okay, change of subject!" Jamie announced, crawling over to his pillow to look straight into the camera. "What's Gabriel's deal?" Jesse's eyebrows shot up.

 

"What?"

 

"What's his deal, what does he want from my pops? You _have_ noticed, right? When you guys left yesterday he would _not_ stop staring at pops!" Jamie wailed, flipping over to his back. "And not like others stare at him, like they're afraid of him or feel sorry for him."

 

"Maybe he likes him?" Jesse supplied, frowning a little bit at the turn the conversation was taking.

 

"Well, _I_ don't like it! Pops spent the whole morning sighing!"

 

"You sure he wasn't just upset about school?"

 

"No, he'd be growling then. He did that too, but then he went back to sighing." Jamie craned his neck so that he arched until he was looking at the tablet again. "He's got enough to worry about without Gabe's meddling."

 

Jesse looked bothered, even upside-down. The boy shook his head.

 

"Maybe he can help? I mean, my mom always said..." He grew quiet for a few moments, prompting Jamie to raise an eyebrow at him. "My mom told me that when she met my dad she felt stronger. Like, it was them against the world and she didn't feel alone just knowing he thought of her..." Jesse's voice grew thicker as he spoke. Jamie sighed and flipped again.

 

"Sounds like what Hana's mom says. And uncle Rein," he admitted. He propped his head up on his arms. "But Rein also says it can hurt to be with someone."

 

The boys fell silent for a while.

 

"I don't think Gabe will hurt Jack," Jesse said after a few moments.

 

"Maybe not..." Jamie mumbled. A knock on the door grabbed his attention. "That's pops! Keep schtum!" he hissed while holding a finger to his lips.

 

"Keep what?" Jesse's brows pulled together in confusion as Jamie just waved his question away.

 

"It's open!" he called as he sat up. Jack came in, carrying something in his hand.

 

"Here, I think you can use this for— hi there, Jesse," Jack said, holding up the item. It was a leg prosthesis, a regular one.

 

"Hi, Mr. Morrison!"

 

"Uuurgh, I don't want that one!" Jamie groaned and fell onto his back.

 

"Look, Jamie. I'm not carrying you everywhere. It's this leg or the crutches until we can get you a new one."

 

"Crutches!"

 

"Jamie. Take five seconds to answer."

 

Jesse watched as the other boy groaned again before he sat back up with a pensive look on his face. About seven seconds later the boy sighed and spoke up.

 

"Leg."

 

"What's wrong with that one?" Jesse asked as Jack knelt down to help Jamie put the prosthesis on.

 

"It's too short now," Jamie whined. "I outgrew it!"

 

"Just by a little, it won't be a problem if we can get you a new one fast," Jack noted.

 

"And it's _dull!_ "

 

"Yeah, well. Put some glitter on it," Jack mumbled as the leg was slid onto the stump. After a few adjustments Jamie flexed his muscles and the leg moved. "Okay," Jack said flatly. "Reinhardt is coming over in about two hours with Hana, I'll be going then but I'll be back as soon as I can." He leaned forward to kiss Jamie's forehead.

 

"Is that when we're coming over too?" Jesse asked.

 

"Yeah. You'll like Rein, I'm sure." Jack stood up, looking over at the tablet for a moment. He said nothing, just reached over to ruffle Jamie's hair before he left the room.

 

"See? Totally out of his head," Jamie said once the door closed. He picked up the tablet and moved over to his desk where he propped the device up again.

 

"I guess," Jesse shrugged. "What are you doing?" he asked when Jamie started to rummage through drawers, pulling out a few boxes and tools.

 

"I'm putting some glitter on it!"

 

***

 

" _Suspension_ ," Jack hissed when the door to the school slammed behind them.

 

The last few hours had passed by in a strange mix between a crawl and a blur. Gabriel had arrived at Jack's place with Jesse and Rosa. Reinhardt had been there. Jamie, who was covered in glitter, had hugged his father as they left – leaving spots of glitter all over him – and then the two men had gone to the boys' school to _talk_ to the principal as well as Kenneth's parents.

 

It had not been ideal. Last time Gabriel had seen Jack this angry they had been on a rescue mission that went FUBAR.

 

"Jack, slow down," he called out, trying to keep up with the other.

 

"What kind of punishment is _suspension_ to a kid anyway? 'You did something bad, have a week's vacation!'" Jack snarled when Gabriel reached out to put a hand on his shoulder.

 

"I know, it sucks but—"

 

"My kid _had his leg torn off_ ! The fact that he's an amputee should _not_ count as a mitigating factor!" Jack continued to rant, arms flailing in anger.

 

Gabriel felt himself deflate. He wanted to comfort the other man but at the same time he knew _they were lucky to have gotten anything to happen at all_. If the principal had reacted like the one in Jesse's old school in LA...

 

Old fury bubbled underneath his skin. He pushed against it, this was not the right time for it.

 

They made their way to the parking lot, with Jack fuming the whole way. They had taken Jack's car there together. When they arrived, Jack put his forehead to the cool metal and gave a heavy sigh. He looked tired, haggard.

 

"I don't want to go home yet," he said. "I don't want Jamie to see me like this." Gabriel gave a weak nod.

 

"Alright, let's go somewhere to cool down. Want something to eat?"

 

"No."

 

"Well, I do. And I don't think you're in the right mind to drive right now so I decide where we go." Gabriel took Jack's surprisingly limp arm and led him over to the passenger's seat. He eased him into the seat, taking note of Jack's deep breathing – like he was trying to come down from a panic attack.

 

Gabriel got into the driver's seat next and turned on the ignition. Concern tore at his mind for both Jack and the kids. The meeting hadn't solved anything, and he had to agree with Jack; suspension was not going to fix anything. The whole thing was up in the air, still.

 

His mind wandered as he drove. The principal – a kind-looking woman who seemed woefully lost on what to do – had tried to play peacekeeper between Jack and Jared more than trying to solve the situation between the kids. Jared's wife had been very quiet the whole meeting. Gabriel was suspecting she and himself were both there in equal parts concern and moral support.

 

Jared... was not quite what he had expected. He had expected someone who you could just look at and know 'that person is shitty'. Someone who looked like Biff from Back to the Future. Jared was not that person. He was a little shorter than average, little fuller around the waist than what was healthy and sure, his temperament left much to be desired. But... Gabriel had to wonder; was he a man who was being shitty or was he a man who was reacting to his son being shitty?

 

If someone accused Jesse or Rosa of the kind of behaviour Kenneth had done... Gabriel couldn't guarantee he'd react differently.

 

The difference, as far as he knew, was that his kids hadn't done any shit.

 

Or..?

 

Flashes of Jesse's face flitted across his mind. The look in his eyes when he had asked about Jamie...

 

"Gabe?" Jack's voice interrupted him. "It's green."

 

"Oh," Gabriel mumbled, staring up at the traffic-light for a moment before he continued his drive. "Want to go to the café by the gym?" he asked, trying to clear his head and get back to the present.

 

"Sure," Jack sighed.

 

It didn't take them long to reach the café. They found a booth a little to the side, a secluded corner where they both felt they could relax a little. Jack was nursing some overly sweet coffedrink with all sorts of syrup drizzled across the dome of cream at the top and Gabriel had a simple sub. They sat there, neither saying anything for quite a while.

 

What _would_ he do if Jesse or Rosa did something? If there was anything the army had taught him it was that believing in doing the right thing was easy. It was what you _did_ when it finally happened that mattered, however. Did you talk the terrorist down or did you shoot at them despite the hostage in front of them? Did you carry your squadmate's broken body to safety or did you run, hoping the sounds of combat behind you would drown out their screams?

 

Did you believe in your kid when they said they didn't do anything wrong or did you not?

 

Was it a matter of right and wrong or easy and hard?

 

Something tapped against his foot.

 

"Hey," Jack said, kicking lightly him under the table again. "I was trying to thank you, but you seem to be miles away."

 

"Sorry, just... thinking," Gabriel mumbled.

 

"About?"

 

"This whole mess, I guess." Gabriel gave a heavy sigh, pushing the last of his sub into his mouth. He was idly aware of Jack's toe rubbing against his shoe reassuringly.

 

"Well, either way," Jack began, adjusting his glasses. "Thank you. For... everything. I-I can't even begin to..."

 

"You don't have to, Jack."

 

Jack grew quiet again, hands coming to rest on either side of his cup, soaking up whatever warmth there was left. Gabriel closed his eyes, inhaling deeply before he spoke up.

 

"Back in LA, the school Jesse went to decided not to report anything that happened regarding this shit. No reports, no statistics. That way they could boast a zero percent bullying result," he murmured, just loud enough for Jack to hear. "They tried to defuse any and all situations before they escalated but... kids are stubborn I guess. I didn't even know something was up until I caught Jesse's classmates in the act."

 

"Did they hurt him?" Jack asked, voice low and concerned.

 

"Not physically. I... as long as I live I will never understand what went through their heads. Jesse was... freshly orphaned, most of this time he didn't even have his prosthesis, he was far away from the only home he knew..." Gabriel hoped the slight waver in his voice was just his imagination. Judging by Jack's face, it was not. "Guess they must have seen him as an easy target."

 

"Fuck..." Jack cursed, covering his mouth.

 

"Worst part is," Gabriel growled, " _those_ kids are still there. Among their friends and familiar places and shit. _Jesse_ was told to transfer to another school. Like _he_ was the problem."

 

Jack stared at his almost-empty drink. His knuckles were white as he gripped the glass.

 

"Anyone tries that with Jamie, I'll fucking take them down."

 

Gabriel looked over at the other man, observing the hard lines on his face, the set of his jaw and the steely look in his eyes.

 

"I don't doubt it."

 

"Not to try to force a sliver lining onto a pile of shit but..." Jack said, his voice suddenly much softer. "Despite everything, all that shit and everything... I'm glad it brought you here. Of all places you could..." He trailed off, gave a breathy, not-quite-empty laugh and continued. "I'm glad you're here, Gabriel."

 

Gabriel smiled.

 

"Me too."

 

***

 

Later that night, after Gabriel had picked up his kids and gone home and gotten them both into bed, he felt much better. After everything that happened; seeing Jamie, Jesse, Rosa and Hana in various stages of sleep in a dog-pile on the couch when they got back to Jack's place cheered them both up like nothing else. Jesse, curled up against the armrest. Jamie, spread out in three directions and snoring lightly. Hana, using Jamie's thigh as a pillow and Rosa being almost awake enough to greet Jack and Gabriel when they arrived, but not quite.

 

Now, late at night and in the comfort of his own bedroom, Gabriel could finally relax and forget about the day's events for a few hours.

 

He was about to crawl into bed and maybe put on a show to fall asleep to when his phone buzzed. Jack's name greeted him on the screen.

 

_'If you are still interested I've finished thinking'_

 

His mouth went dry. The sandstorm whipped up again.

 

'I'm still interested' he replied. The phone buzzed again not long after.

 

_'Good :)'_

 

_'I have a few groundrules'_

 

'hit me' Gabriel typed out, feeling himself grow warmer already. The buzzing continued.

 

_'1. nothing happens when the kids are around'_

 

 _Fair enough,_ Gabriel thought.

 

_'2. I decide if I want to keep my shirt on'_

 

He started to type out an 'okay' and hit send just after the next message appeared.

 

_'3. I don't kiss'_

 

That made him frown a bit. He had looked forward to kissing Jack, but if that was off-limits it was off-limits.

 

_'4. my safetyword is blueberry ;)'_

 

That made him smile instead. He quickly typed out his reply.

 

'alright, I agree to those terms. I don't have any rules myself really, just a few things'

 

A smiley face came as Jack's reply as Gabriel tapped the phone to lay down his terms.

 

'I haven't done much kinky stuff so ease me in if you want that. I won't hurt you beyond bruising even if you want to and I don't do watersports'

 

He thought for a moment if there was anything else.

 

'also I like to cuddle afterwards' he added.

 

 _'sounds good and reasonable to me :)'_ Jack replied a few moments later.

 

Gabriel licked his lips. A sense of "this is really happening" came over him and he felt himself twitch in his underwear as he typed out his next message.

 

'Sooo... what are you wearing?'

 

The reply that came left him feeling warm and breathless.

 

_'just my glasses'_

 

Another buzz.

 

_'wanna see?'_


	15. Conceal

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for taking so long! The BigBang is eating my life. 
> 
> For those of you who are interested, I wrote a bonus chapter detailing what happened after the last one. It is NSFW and can be found [here](http://archiveofourown.org/works/10667736/chapters/23612430).
> 
> I was so tempted to name this chapter "Conceal, don't feel"...

Chicken soup, 1.99. Jack was idly aware that he'd been staring at the label for quite some time now. The general clamor of the supermarket was a white noise to his ears. Sighing, he tossed the can into his basket.

 

The night before played on repeat in his mind, bringing him a mix between satisfaction and trepidation. He really  _ had _ agreed to sleep with Gabriel, and he really  _ had _ called him to get a taste of what was to come. Part of him expected he'd wake up at any moment now.

 

_ Still, _ he reminded himself, _ it's not quite what I want. _

 

Looking over the meager selection of pasta that could be found at the store, he couldn't help but to sigh at himself again. It was a good thing it was just a casual thing. It gave him an outlet for his stress without adding the whole new kind of stress that new relationships brought with them. A purely physical thing. It was good.

 

_ Now just avoid all the thoughts about kissing him, _ Jack told himself.

 

He passed a pack of spaghetti into the basket. The no kissing rule was a good idea. Normally he loved to kiss people he slept with, it was comforting and intimate and sexy as far as he was concerned. If he kissed Gabriel though... Yeah, no way it would stay "just a physical thing" then.

 

He made his way towards the dairy section, his mind torn between the decision to sort his thoughts out and the choice to ignore all thoughts that did not have anything to do with groceries at the moment when a voice behind him spoke up.

 

"Mr. Morrison?" it asked, pleasantly yet hesitantly.

 

_ Ah, we're taking secret option number three; focus on a different problem _ , Jack thought as he turned around and faced Mrs Johnson.

 

"Anita," he greeted coldly. Unlike her husband, he actually felt like he could talk to this woman. That did not mean he did so happily. Anita gave him a small smile.

 

"Good to see you, you look well," she said, still a pleasant lilt to her voice. A slight twist of her eyebrows allowed the  _ all things considered _ to remain unsaid.

 

"Same to you," Jack mumbled with a small nod.

 

The two regarded each other for a few moments, neither making the move to speak next. The soft, ambient music from the store was briefly interrupted by a intercom message for one of the workers to man the register before resuming to its calming tunes. Eventually, Anita coughed and looked down.

 

"I... was wondering how Jamieson was doing?" she asked, not quite meeting Jack's gaze.

 

"He's fine," Jack said curtly, not feeling like he owed her any details. Jamie  _ was _ fine after all, but that didn't mean things hadn't been really shitty for a while.

 

"Good. Good, I... I'm glad to hear it." Anita said, shifting her basket from one arm to the other. "I've been really worried about the boy," she added. Jack just gave her a grunt in response. He was just about to turn and continue with his shopping when she spoke up again.

 

"I want you to know something," she began, her voice slightly more urgent than before. "I've decided to get Kenny to meet with a therapist."

 

Jack stopped dead in his tracks. He didn't expect  _ that. _ Judging by her expression, Anita could tell he was caught off guard. She coughed quietly before she continued.

 

"I've thought about it for a while. Jared was against it at first, he was worried it might make him feel..."

 

"Like a  _ freak? _ " Jack wouldn't have been able to stop the growl that slipped past for a hundred dollars.

 

"Like a... Like an outcast." She had the decency to nod, despite her tempered words. "I just... wanted you to know we're not letting this slip past us." Yet again, the slight frown on her face allowed her unspoken words to be heard clear as day.  _ Not this time. _ She hefted her own basket and gave Jack a polite nod. "I just thought you should know," she said and walked away.

 

"Hey," Jack heard himself call after her before he even realized what he was doing. Anita stopped, but didn't turn around. "Jamie... Jamie is going to be fine. He's got a new friend." He wasn't sure why he was telling her.

 

Maybe it was a peace offering.

 

"Good," he heard Anita say after a while. "I'm glad," she added before she walked away.

 

On the way to the checkout, Jack made sure to throw in some of Jamie's favourite ice-cream. If the boy asked why, he'd just say something good happened and leave it at that.

 

***

 

Coming home after shopping was, to Jack's great relief, as chaotic as it usually was. A sign both Jamie and Hana were in a good mood. From the hall he could hear cheerful voices as he unloaded his goods, Jamie's laugh, Hana's giggle, Reinhardt's deep chuckle and...

 

And a fourth voice.

 

"I'm home," he called out as he tried to place the new voice. It was one he recognized, but he couldn't hear it clearly. After a lot of shuffling and more laughter, Reinhardt entered his field of vision with Jack's tablet in hand.

 

"Jack! Come say hi to our old friend!" Reinhardt boomed, holding out the tablet for him. Hana and Jamie followed right behind, clearly eager to keep talking. On the screen, a very familiar, hairy face greeted Jack.

 

"Torbjörn?" he asked, genuinely surprised.

 

"Hey there, Jack," Torbjörn greeted. He appeared to be sitting in front of his computer in his study, a surprisingly neat room considering the engineer's tendency to forget his surroundings as he worked. The room suited his position as a professor more than his legacy as a world-renowned craftsman.

 

"Uncle Torby promised he'd send more puzzles!" Jamie cheered, a big grin on his face. Jack smiled, Torbjörn had been the first to notice the boy's aptitude for tinkering and made sure to nurture the small spark in a way Jack knew he couldn't do himself. Before Jack could reply, Reinhardt started to usher the kids back into the living room.

 

"Come on, children. Let Jack catch up with Torby."

 

"But I wanted to keep talking," Hana whined as she was gently pushed away.

 

"Later, little diva. I'm sure Jack and Torbjörn has a lot to talk about." Briefly, Reinhardt turned and winked towards Jack. With a groan, Jack rolled his eyes.

 

"Glad to hear you're excited to talk to me, Jackie boy," Torbjörn laughed, leaning back in his leather chair as a huge, orange cat with black stripes jumped into his lap. "Rein has given me a quick update." Moving towards his bedroom so he could talk undisturbed, Jack made no effort to hide his annoyance.

 

"He snitched on me, did he?" he groaned.

 

"He told me you and Jamie has been encountering a few troubles lately, about his leg..." Torbjörn said as he stroked his cat. Closing the bedroom door behind him, Jack sighed heavily. Torbjörn had  _ eight _ kids. The man was a superdad. This, combined with his habit of reminding people of just how much smarter he was than others – half the time he didn't seem to notice he did it – made him the Nightmare Overdad. The one who didn't say "if it was  _ my _ kid" in that annoying backseat-parenting way so many others did, but the one who actually could say " _ when _ it was my kid" in almost every situation.

 

Out of all his friends, Torbjörn was the one Jack knew he needed help from with Jamie the most. As well as the one he wished he'd never have to ask. Everything Jack felt was a struggle with parenting, Torbjörn seemed to breeze through.

 

He braced himself for the well-meaning-but-condescending lecture he was no doubt going to get.

 

"A kid in his class broke the peg-leg and got a week's suspension. And that's the  _ toned down _ version," Jack growled.

 

"How did it break?"

 

"Apparently he threw it down a slope."

 

Torbjörn gave a quiet hum.

 

"Shouldn't have broken so easily. It was the one Jamie made himself, yeah? The one I showed him how to work on?"

 

"Yeah, he loves... Loved it. I'm going to try to get a new leg for him soon and I doubt it's going to be easy to get him to accept it," Jack sighed. "He's going to miss that leg."

 

"You say that as if he can't get a new one, just like the other," Torbjörn said, his claw-arm whirring as it spun in a blatant display. "Good thing about these, you'll lose your flesh limb once but you can get your metal ones back easily."

 

"He's not good enough to make his own, Torby. He only managed to make the peg-leg by butchering a regular one, and he had your help with it," Jack lamented. "And besides, I'm worried what a peg-leg might do to his posture..."

 

"The kid needs to embrace himself, Jack. With the right work his body won't be troubled by an unorthodox prosthesis. What you need to do is to let that child be himself, flaws and all, and make sure he knows he's  _ loved _ not just  _ despite _ them but  _ because _ of them," Torbjörn said, his voice laying heavy emphasis on the syllables. Jack failed to contain his groan as the predicted rant came.

 

"Look, Torby, I appreciate your advice but your kids are not like Jamie. They are..." he began, but Torbjörn held up a hand quickly to silence him.

 

"'Normal', I know. It's not  _ true _ , and you know it, but I know that's what you were thinking. Jamie isn't like my kids though, he's like  _ me. _ "

 

Jack fell silent. Briefly, he chastised himself. He should have seen that coming.

 

"I'll be blunt, I think I know what Jamie is going through better than you do. He and I  _ have _ lived and  _ will _ live lives you're never going to be able to imagine, and what he needs from you is to know there’s a place in your life that is Jamieson-shaped," Torbjörn continued. "The worst feeling in life is the feeling that there is no place for you in the world, it's up to us parents to create that space for our children. He needs to know that it is okay to be  _ him. _ "

 

Jack frowned.

 

"You're talking as if you think I'm not making him see that," Jack muttered. "I've never told Jamie he needs to fit in anywhere."

 

"Not with your words, maybe," Torbjörn scoffed. Knowing full well he was taking the bait dangled oh-so-subtly in front of him, Jack narrowed his eyes.

 

"What's that supposed to mean?" he growled. Torbjörn looked down on his lap and gave his cat a few lazy strokes.

 

"You look great, by the way," he said conversationally. "What brand is that concealer?"

 

"It's—" Jack started before the meaning behind the question caught up with him. He promptly shut his mouth. Torbjörn made an approving noise.

 

"Kids are basically animals, there are crows out there with greater problem-solving skills than the average eight-year old. If there's one thing a parent must never forget it is that monkey-see, monkey-do. The boy looks up to you, Jackie. You need to  _ show _ him it's okay to be yourself as much, or more, than you tell him." Torbjörn looked up with a sympathetic gaze. "And while you're at it, show yourself that too."

 

Jack felt stumped. In the comfort of his bedroom, the soft, muffled sounds from the living room pierced the stillness. He couldn't help but to feel denser than a Christmas fruitcake.

 

"... I'll try," he promised. He had to. "Thanks," he added after a few seconds.

 

"You'll get there, Jack. In the meantime..." Torbjörn lifted the cat off his lap and scooted closer to the screen, "I'm sending you a little something. Jamie wanted some puzzles, and I think Hana would benefit from some challenges as well. She's bright, she'll go far one day. And..." he typed something out on his end and fiddled with the mouse for a bit, "I'm making a new leg for Jamie."

 

"What?!" Jack shouted before he could stop himself. "Torb, you don't have to... I can't afford a genuine Lindholm!"

 

"Consider it a gift, from one friend to another. Or from one genius amputee to another, whichever makes you feel better. I'll need his measurements and such, get that for me," Torbjörn said as he worked. "Now, all I ask in return is that you show that kid that  _ abnormal, _ " he clicked his claw-hand for emphasis, "does not mean  _ abhorrent _ . Don't let that firework fizzle out."

 

"I won't," Jack promised. "I... I really can't thank you enough."

 

A while later, Jack emerged from his room to find Reinhardt and the kids in the kitchen, putting away the groceries Jack had forgotten in the hall. On the table stood a new soap, a bottle of shampoo and a new concealer, all waiting for Jack to take them to the bathroom.

 

"Good talk?" Reinhardt asked as Jack gathered the objects.

 

"Very," he confirmed before he made his way to the bathroom and put everything in its place. Opening the mirror cabinet, he hesitated for a moment as he was about to place the concealer in its designated space.

 

He hummed, took a deep breath, and threw the package in the bin and went back to the kitchen.

 

**Author's Note:**

> I was going to make a fluffy fic. It became a multichapter, therapeutic fic about bullying, alienation and friendship. Mission accomplished.
> 
> You can find me on [Tumblr](http://maidenmart.tumblr.com/) where I sometimes upload fanart or self-indulgent stuff.
> 
> Any advice, constructive criticism or general support is golden!


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